MEMBERS of Parliament who refuse to declare their assets, should Dewan Rakyat endorse a motion making it compulsory, will find themselves facing disciplinary action, said Liew Vui Keong.

The de facto law minister said they will be in contempt of the house and will be referred to the parliamentary Rights and Privileges committee chaired by the Dewan Rakyat speaker.

“It (non-declaration of assets) can be in contempt of Parliament, the speaker can then refer the MP to the Rights and Privileges committee to find out the reason of non-declaration and to punish them accordingly,” he told a press conference at the launch of the Unicorn Hub Co-working space in Damansara Utama today.  

The Rights and Privileges Committee handles all disciplinary matters relating to the members of Parliament and has the power to punish errant lawmakers.

He said that as there are no set laws and SOP’s for this motion, punishments will meted out by the speaker of the house.

“If they don’t declare, the Rights and Privileges committee will hear them out and listen to their reasoning.

“After hearing their submission, they will then decide to punish or advice the MP in question,” he said.

He also said that once the motion is passed, the time period for MPs to declare their assets will be three months.

When asked why they are given three months, Liew said that this is standard operating procedure.

Putrajaya plans to table a motion requiring all members to declare their assets to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission when Parliament meets on Monday.

Currently, only Pakatan Harapan MPs have declared their assets to the MACC while the opposition members have not.

Liew also said the motion will cover Dewan Negara senators who will also have to declare their assets if the motion is passed. 

The Star reported Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof saying that MPs who do not comply with the motion if it is passed will be referred to the Rights and Privileges Committee.

“The committee will conduct an inquiry and decide which action to take.”

As speaker, Ariff said on his own he has no power to punish errant MPs. – June 29, 2019.