Bersih’s Faisal Abdul Aziz said the only ones to have done so to date were politicians from PKR, a component of Pakatan Harapan (PH). He said it was likely their action was due to the party’s culture of being transparent.
A majority of PKR’s 72 candidates declared their assets in November 2022,, including PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as well as then deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
PKR’s ally, DAP said at the time that it had no plans to make it mandatory for its GE15 candidates to declare their assets, although elected representatives would be required to do so.
Then Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman had also declared his assets.
“Opposition MPs haven’t done so. PAS previously said it would not declare assets, in line with Islamic principles,” Faisal said, making a reference to remarks by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man in 2019.
Tuan Ibrahim had then quoted a hadith which stated that going public with one’s wealth could harm personal safety and create jealousy.
His comment came when he stated the party’s opposition to a motion for MPs, along with their spouses and children, to declare their assets.
However, Faisal retorted: “We need them to declare assets and not give excuses.”
On Thursday, Bersih had urged candidates in the Sabah elections next month to declare their assets, for the sake of greater transparency, especially over campaign resources received by the candidates.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Raymon Ram said it was “disappointing” that many politicians had yet to declare their assets despite persistent calls to do so.
“The public has a right to know the financial position and campaign funding sources of those who seek to lead,” he said.
While he urged candidates in the coming Sabah polls to voluntarily declare their assets and campaign funds, calling it a “basic demonstration of transparency, accountability, and integrity”, Ram acknowledged that it was insufficient.
He said Malaysia still lacked a clear legislative framework governing both asset declaration and political financing.
“Without such laws in place, disclosure remains inconsistent and dependent on political will.”
He said clean elections cannot rely on goodwill alone, it must be supported by enforceable laws and collective responsibility, because transparency should never be optional.
Former Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said the government should have tabled the Political Financing Bill this year.
“There are still no laws to compel politicians to declare their assets,” said Maria, a former MP, who called for the proposed law to be tabled before the next general election.
In March, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said it would be difficult to pass a political financing bill before the next general election, as more feedback was still needed, particularly from civil society.