Mat Sabu piles pressure on PAS Youth to declare assets

Nigel Aw 11:19PM Nov 14, 2012

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu has announced that he will declare his assets in a bid to convince aspiring candidates in the next general election from its youth wing to follow suit.

“Declaration of asset must be done by those who wish to contest in the next general election, at the very least early steps should be taken.

“Therefore - I may be contesting in the coming general election if the party secretary-general allows it - so I will beginning today declare my personal assets,” he said during the opening of the PAS Youth Muktamar tonight.

The move by Mohamad, or more popularly known as Mat Sabu, sets the stage for PAS Youth to respond to the challenge when it begins its debate tomorrow.

PAS Youth secretary Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil had said prior to the Muktamar that the wing was mulling to have its aspiring candidates to declare their assets.

However, a final decision has yet to be made on the matter.

Mat Sabu added that aside from declaring their assets when coming into office, public officials must again declare their assets at the end of their term to prove that their wealth had not come from illegitimate sources.

This, he said, was exactly what was required by Saidina Ali during his rule of the Islamic Caliphate of his governors.

At a press conference later, Mat Sabu said he was personally prepared to declare his assets immediately but the party needed time to develop a mechanism.

Concurring, PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan said the wing has proposed asset declaration based on the Public Service Department’s (PSD) model.

“We are for transparency but we need to decide on a mechanism. We are proposing that the entire PAS Youth exco follow the PSD format on asset declaration and this information will be handed to the youth chief and then to the party.

“Once the candidates are finalised, the asset declaration for them will be published,” he said.

Chipping in, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali said he was confident that the Youth wing had no problems with the proposal and it was only a matter of mechanism.

“We hope that it can be completed before the next general election,” he said.

He added the matter would also be discussed by the main body during its Muktamar on Friday.

‘Don’t take over Umno’s habits’

Earlier, Mat Sabu in his speech warned party members against corruption, stating now the party was now in the era of ruling and must walk the talk.

“Your era is an era of action, no longer an era of rhetoric. Islam as a solution for the nation has been accepted by both Muslims and non-Muslims.

“The rakyat awaits its implementation, PAS must replace Umno, not replace its (negative) attitude,” he said.

He added that if in the name of Islam, corruption becomes worse, the people would desert Islamic rule and Islamic civilisation would be lost for centuries as it had in North Africa.

“It will be even more unfortunate if we are given the responsibility but lose trust and the greatest of the Islamic civilisation,” he said.

However, Mat Sabu noted that despite the various criticism that the PAS-led administration in Kedah had received, it had taken them in stride by welcoming investigation from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).