PARLIAMENT today adopted a motion to make it compulsory for all legislators to declare their wealth today despite opposition members’ vociferous rhetoric against the motion.

Opposition MPs said they agreed in principle that members had to declare their worth, but insist the motion was flawed as it had no legal basis.

Pakatan Harapan – with 138 MPs in the 222-member chamber – saw through the motion, as it needed a simple majority to pass.

It was carried with a voice vote with no dissenting voice heard.

In winding up to the points raised during the debate, law minister Liew Vui Keong told members the motion was the first step in Putrajaya’s effort to increase accountability and transparency in public life.

He said changes to laws to legally make it compulsory for MPs to declare their assets would be made soon.

Though he did not mention which piece of legislation, opposition lawmakers had asked for changes to be made to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act to provide legal bite to the motion.

But the implementation is going to be difficult as there are no laws to punish those who failed to declare their assets to the speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof .

Earlier, Liew in tabling the motion told members to declare their assets based on the principles of accountability and transparency.

He acknowledged that there was no law to compel MPs to declare their assets but hoped that everyone would comply in good faith.

He said MPs who make false declarations would be subject to prosecution under the Statutory Declarations Act and for giving false evidence under the Penal Code, which carry prison terms if convicted.

“The statutory declaration shall be submitted to the Yang di-Pertua within three months of the date this motion is agreed upon, and copied to the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),” Liew told the house.

“The list of MPs who have declared their property shall be displayed on the MACC portal, and only the details of the declaration of the property of that member shall be posted on the portal for a period of three months from the date of receipt of the statutory declaration by the MACC,” Liew said. – July 1, 2019.