THE Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) has expressed concern over the DAP candidate for the Puchong parliamentary seat citing a possible political-business nexus and conflicts of interest that could arise.

It said the candidate, Yeo Bee Yin, has been nominated for a parliamentary seat in an area where her in-laws possess vast business interests.

This smacks of potential conflict of interest concerns, the watchdog said in a statement today. 

Yeo, a former energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister under the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018, is married to IOI Properties Group Bhd chief executive officer Lee Yeow Seng, the son of IOI Group Bhd founder, the late Lee Shin Cheng.

For the 2022 general election, DAP has decided to move her from Bakri in Johor to Puchong, Selangor.

“That Yeo was nominated to run in the constituency of Puchong in the first place indicates a glaring blind spot of political parties who, at best, simply were not aware of Yeo’s connections to business (doubtful as that may be). 

“At worst, such a connection could potentially become a leverage for the purposes of political funding if we still fail to heed and learn from the lessons of the past. 

“In lieu of a functioning political funding act or policy on asset declaration, political parties must remain vigilant in ensuring that the circumstances giving rise to the expansion of the business-political nexus are limited as much as possible, especially if those parties are campaigning on an anti-corruption and reformist agenda.

“The growing trend of business-in-politics and vice versa gives rise to nepotism, cronyism, patronage politics and undue influence of business on policy-making,” it said. 

Last week, C4 Center released its report on Business in Politics: Seeking Control of Malaysia’s Political System, highlighting politicians with business ties, and why it must be avoided.

“We reiterate our concerns over GE15 candidates with business ties and urge political parties to review their choices of nominees thoroughly,” it said.

The anti-corruption watchdog said the IOI Group was among Malaysia’s largest property developers and plantation cultivators to date, with projects covering massive land areas across the Puchong constituency.

It said that with the unabating number of development projects in Puchong and across the Klang Valley, there was growing dissatisfaction that these will only serve the interests of property developers, have no utility for a majority of the population, raise costs of living in the surrounding areas, and contribute to environmental degradation.

“As someone with a personal stake in the success of IOI Group’s operations, Yeo’s impartiality and ability to make decisions prioritising her constituency and the lives of its residents is cast in doubt, regardless of her numerous achievements as a former minister,” said C4 Center. – November 6, 2022.