KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — Declaring assets is not an issue for all Cabinet members of the unity government and can be easily done, according to Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
He said he had previously declared his assets when serving as a minister under the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, as reported by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.
“Declare (the assets)... what’s the problem?” he asked.
“When I was a minister, I declared everything,” Johari said after officiating the Women Empowerment Programme in the Titiwangsa Parliamentary Constituency at Ampang Hilir today.
When speaking to reporters after the event, he said, “No problem at all,” referring to asset declaration by the prime minister and members of the Cabinet.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was recently reported as saying he was ready to declare his assets at any time.
Anwar had emphasised the importance of transparency in governance while criticising politicians reluctant to declare their assets.
PAS Deputy President Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had expressed surprise that Anwar had not declared his assets after nearly two years in office.
However, the call for asset declaration was initially made to opposition MPs as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding allocations.
Perikatan Nasional chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan had rejected the MoU negotiations, saying government members should declare their assets first, following previous government practices.
For the record, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) website had listed 63 Cabinet members, including former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who declared their income and assets.
However, the website did not display the specific amounts of assets or income.
A similar declaration had been made by former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet.
