KUALA LUMPUR (May 22): The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre) has urged for the Attorney General’s office to prioritise the corruption charge of the newly-appointed Minister of Finance, in order to uphold good governance.

In a statement, the centre today said it is troubled that Lim Guan Eng has been appointed as Finance Minister, despite earlier statements by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir that he can only be appointed if he has been cleared of his corruption charge.

“We acknowledge that there is no legal compulsion that prevents Lim’s appointment as minister, while still answering for a corruption charge. However, there are good governance principles that underlie the importance of Tun Dr Mahathir’s earlier statement.

“Public officials must uphold full accountability for their actions, and corruption must be completely absent — how can this be neglected with the newly-minted cabinet and especially [with] the leadership of the finance ministry at stake?” said C4 executive director Cynthia Gabriel.

Gabriel said while swiftness is required to implement the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s promises to the people and its 100-day policy goals, the government should also walk the talk on systemic reforms.

“Therefore, the rule of law and due process in clearing Lim Guan Eng must uncompromisingly be followed, before any federal appointments,” she added.

Additionally, C4 also urged for greater transparency on the process between the prime minister and the attorney general’s office to instill confidence in the public sphere that no strings were pulled, demonstrating due process was adhered to, despite the urgency.

“We trust that the PH government is vigilant and must not falter at this pivotal moment in Malaysian history. Precedent must be set for future generations, such that reform truly takes root in Malaysia,” the centre said.