All ministers, deputy ministers and members of parliament must declare their assets, Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has said.

This is the requirement laid down by Malaysia's ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition.

Pakatan Harapan requirement

Wan Azizah was responding to queries from Malaysian media at a press conference after clocking in as Women, Family and Community Development Minister on May 24.

“Yes, I think so. It is part of what we have said,” she said when asked on whether Pakatan Harapan would carry out an asset declaration exercise among its leaders.

When asked on when it will be executed, she said the matter lies with the Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“It is part of our management’s way of doing things,” she said.

Malaysian ministers had agreed to a 10 percent pay cut just the day before.

This is the video of Wan Azizah's response (Note: Video has poor audio):

Asset declaration not radical

Such a move is not radical. Precedent was previously set before the 2018 Malaysia election.

Lim, who was then Chief Minister of Penang, said all the state’s Pakatan Harapan executive councillors and assemblymen, including himself, would declare their assets at the end of March, 2018.

All Penang Pakatan Harapan representatives were to do the same.

Lim said then: “The declaration is done at the beginning and end of the term of the state government."

“We previously declared our assets in 2013. Since our term will be ending soon, we will make our declarations again on March 31."

The declaration could be accessed at https://www.penang.gov.my.

Lim said the declaration was a measure to ensure that the elected representatives were transparent and free from corruption.

“If there are state MPs keen on declaring their assets, they are welcome to do so as well,” he said.

Some unrelated but equally interesting stories:

How to train to be a ninja warrior, in your office

Watch a concert with your ears only at this Esplanade concert in the dark