Calls for compulsory asset declaration for elected reps in Selangor

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor state government must make asset declaration compulsory for all elected representatives and top government officials.
DAP Kampung Tunku rep Lau Weng San, in making the call, said such a ruling was to avoid corruption and ensure clean governance.
"I would like to touch on transparency and clean governance, where I would like to suggest that in the future, the state government requires all top officials and assemblymen to declare their assets and properties.
"This is to ensure the Selangor government does not get involved in any form of corruption," he said in his motion of thanks on the Selangor Sultan's address during the opening of the state legislative assembly session on Monday, here, today.
Arguing that corruption could cause the government foreign investments, Lau proposed that an independent body be appointed to oversee the asset declaration.
"We can appoint a body free from government influence to monitor, such as the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)," he said.
The call for asset declaration in Selangor was first mooted by state assembly speaker Hannah Yeoh in March last year.
At present, only Penang and Selangor have implemented this policy for elected representatives, but only on a voluntary basis.
Later when met by reporters, Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Razak (BN-Permatang) said he supported the suggestion but questioned if it would ever be brought up as a bill in the assembly.
He noted how the state government had proposed for the bill to be tabled previously, but nothing came of it.
"We (Barisan Nasional) have no problem. I believe, if it is debated, it will be approved. But I am disappointed that the bill was apparently withdrawn in the last seating.
"For me, only the state government has the right to table the bill, and we are ready to support if the intention is clean, that is for everyone to declare their assets," he said.