This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 26, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre) yesterday held discussions on the proposed asset declaration law for politicians and senior government officials with the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

C4 Centre prepared a Public Asset Declaration Framework (PADF) with the help of the constitutional committee of the Bar Council before the 14th general election,  said C4 Centre executive director Cynthia Gabriel.

“With the PADF, C4 Centre and allied good governance civil society groups have been lobbying political parties to eventually institutionalise a robust asset declaration law in Malaysia,” she said in a statement.

Gabriel said the PADF outlines best practice principles and has a sample declaration form which is more comprehensive than that used by politicians so far.

She said the PADF also notes that the current asset declaration practice in the civil service is not sufficient, neither in depth nor width, and is not open to public scrutiny.

Gabriel said GIACC director-general Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed reassured the group that Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is “extremely serious” about asset declaration.

GIACC will be meeting the prime minister in early July to present proposals for both short-term and long-term measures.

C4 Centre hoped that the details of an asset declaration draft bill can be strengthened with its proposals, especially that asset declaration statements be publicly available, she said.

“Public oversight is the best source of check and balance against kleptocratic tendencies at every level, for whichever government of the day holding power,” she said.

Gabriel said the PADF has outlined that the asset declaration system needs to be public and machine-readable. It must also cover both movable and immovable assets, business interests and gifts.

Grabriel said the system must apply to all members of parliament, state executive members and senior officers of public bodies, as well as their immediate family members.

The asset declaration has to be performed immediately upon appointment and annually thereafter, she said.