http://dapmalaysia.org
|
The new Cabinet next Wednesday should give the Prime Minister and the nation a pleasant surprise by volunteering and resolving that all Cabinet Ministers publicly declare their assets and those of next-of-kin – the best support they can give to Abdullah’s call for a new culture of political integrity with zero-tolerance for corruption Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Ipoh, Thursday): DAP lauds the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his clarion call to the new Ministers to maintain personal integrity and stay away from corruption or face the full consequences of the law when opening his first Cabinet meeting yesterday after securing an unprecedented mandate of nine-tenth parliamentary majority in the recent general election. Although Abdullah’s first Cabinet announced last Saturday failed to live up to public expectations of an Integrity Cabinet by only appointing Ministers who could pass the criteria of integrity and perception of integrity, Malaysians are prepared to give Abdullah another chance to honour his pledge of a clean, incorruptible, efficient, people-oriented and trustworthy government which wants to hear the truth from the people. There is a general sense of relief that despite a most disappointing Cabinet, Abdullah has continued to give top priority to integrity, making clear that he would not protect the corrupt and the indolent. Most of the ministers met after attending the first meeting of the new Cabinet yesterday agreed with and welcomed the reminder issued by Abdullah that they should be “corruption-free” with no conflict of interest with business ventures to promote a clean, trustworthy and efficient government. It is time however that the Cabinet Ministers should not just be at the receiving end of reminders and exhortations of the Prime Minister to maintain personal integrity and dignity and stay away from corruption, but be exemplars of an Integrity Administration by pro-actively promoting a new culture of political integrity with zero-tolerance for corruption. The new Cabinet next Wednesday should demonstrate that it supports Abdullah’s message of integrity and corruption-free governance by resolving that all Cabinet Ministers should publicly declare their assets and those of next-of-kin as the most powerful testimony that they are serious and not merely paying lip-service about supporting the Prime Minister’s call for a “corruption-free” administration and an unfettered crackdown on corruption. I believe Abdullah personally supports the proposition that all Cabinet Minsiters should publicly declare their assets and their next-of-kin as it is the most potent means to promote a new culture of political integrity with zero tolerance for corruption, but he is unable to adopt and implement such a measure because not all his Cabinet Ministers are prepared for such a public declaration of assets as they lack full commitment to a new culture of zero-tolerance for corruption. The Cabinet Ministers should prove Abdullah wrong by giving unequivocal support for a corruption-free administration and a no-holds-barred crackdown on corruption. The new Cabinet next Wednesday should give the Prime Minister and the nation a pleasant surprise by volunteering and resolving that all Cabinet Ministers publicly declare their assets and those of next-of-kin – the best support they can give to Abdullah’s call for a new culture of political integrity with zero-tolerance for corruption. Ministers who are not prepared to support the public declaration of their assets and their next-of-kin should resign from the Cabinet so as not to hamper and obstruct Abdullah’s call for a new culture of political integrity with zero tolerance for corruption – as they would be found wanting in one of the most important criteria of an Integrity Cabinet, full public disclosure and accountability of their assets and their next-of-in. * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman & Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timor |