KUALA LUMPUR: A new format of asset declaration for members of parliament and administrative members will be implemented soon.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said this follows the decision of a Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Jan 8.
"Following the meeting, the committee agreed to bring the proposed improvement on asset declaration format for the cabinet's further discussion in the nearest time before the format is enforced," she said in a parliamentary written reply on Monday.
She said this in response to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu) on whether the government has implemented the asset declaration policy for all administrative members.
Meanwhile, Azalina said that the 17th Special Cabinet Meeting on Anti-Corruption chaired by the prime minister on July 6, last year, had also agreed that all administrative members declare their assets.
"However, the existing asset declaration format must be improved to ensure that the information provided is accurate and transparent before asset declaration is carried out again.
"Following this decision, the cabinet meeting on July 12, 2023, agreed that a new, more comprehensive asset declaration format should be prepared by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as an improvement measure."
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) announced that the Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance in January announced a new guideline to replace the 1998 circular letter (No. 3) in strengthening the governance of Federal Statutory Bodies (FSB).
PMO said the implementation of the guideline is a priority to support the Malaysia Madani agenda through the empowerment of statutory bodies.
It added that the committee also discussed the new format for asset declaration by lawmakers and administrative members to be reinforced, in line with the government's principle of transparency.