“Surely the MPs know what assets they have. Surely they can keep track of how many houses or cars they own,” said Dr Michael Jeyakumar, a member of the PSM central committee and a former MP for Sungai Siput.
He was commenting on a news report quoting Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as saying PH MPs had three months to declare their assets from the day they took their oath of office.
Saifuddin also said the declared assets would be published on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission website.
Jeyakumar, who declared his assets to the public every year when he was MP, said the exercise could be completed within two weeks.
He added that the exercise should not be limited to MPs, but should cover all elected representatives and top civil servants.
He quipped that some might be embarrassed by the size of their wealth or find it difficult to explain.
“They mustn’t just declare their assets,” he said. “Those who seem to own more than they could afford with their incomes need to explain how they acquired those assets.
“The exercise is especially good for those who are already rich either because they are from wealthy families or were in business before. That way, people won’t have suspicions over how they gained their wealth.”
Jeyakumar said he doubted that the exercise would lead to a spate of kidnappings of MPs or their family members.
“I believe those intent on kidnapping will know who is wealthy and who isn’t just by looking at their lifestyles,” he said.
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