FMT : Come clean, Zaid challenges ministers

By FMT staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet colleagues were challenged today to make a full public disclosure of their assets and that of their families, their children and their nominees.

Making the challenge was Zaid Ibrahim, the PKR candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election, in response to Muhyiddin's statement that Zaid had been chosen to stand because of his "deep pockets".

Zaid said in a posting on his blog today that Muhyiddin's comment was typical of Umno's dirty campaign of "spreading lies and misinformation" and not focussing on issues to do with the people.

"I was never wealthy, unlike other Umno ministers," Zaid said. "I was a minister for only six months. Before that I was never a crony of any one, nor obtained any concessions or APs or even blocks of shares."

Zaid said he was prepared to publicly disclose his possessions "and my so called wealth" and that of his family and children as well -- on condition that Muhyiddin and Cabinet ministers also declare their own possessions, and that of their families, children and nominees.

Zaid referred to his time as de facto law minister in the government of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and pointed out that Cabinet ministers had resisted a move by Abdullah and him for ministers to declare their assets, showing that BN ministers were clean and not afraid of full accountability and transparency.

"Many senior ministers opposed this idea," Zaid said. "They opposed everything good that Pak Lah wanted to do. I wonder what the DPM has to say about this now."

He also pointed out that when he was appointed a minister he had requested a full investigation in his affairs by the Anti-Corruption Agency. "To this day they have not come forth with any outcome," he said.

Zaid also took issue with Muhyiddin's references to Zaid's disciplinary problems in Umno, when he was accused of money politics and suspended for three years.

He said he had been framed and that the disciplinary board had relied on false statutory declarations. "I won the seat uncontested. There was no opponent. So, how could I be charged for money politics, when there is no contest? But within Umno, I guess anything is possible."

He said the Umno disciplinary board that found him guilty of money politics was willing to spare him on the condition that he apologise to the board for questioning their process and authority.

"Under no circumstances was I ever going to apologise to the board," Zaid said, as to do so would be to implicitly admit guilt.

He accused Muhyiddin of "stooping so low" in his comments and avoiding the issues Zaid had raised on behalf of the people in Hulu Selangor, and urged the Barisan Nasional to conduct a fair fight for the support of voters.

The Hulu Selangor by-election will be held on April 25. Zaid's opponent from BN will be named later today; Muhyiddin had previously stated that the BN candidate would be from the MIC and a local-born.

The MIC has been torn by internal divisions on the candidacy. One of those in the running is MIC deputy president G Palanivel who held the seat for four terms before narrowly losing to PKR's Zainal Abidin Ahmad. He died of brain cancer last month.