PAS Youth mulls declaring assets, upping ante on political foes
Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider
PAS Youth has proposed that its executive council members declare their assets at its next assembly this week, a move that is calculated to raise its public profile and pressure its political peers to do the same in the run-up to the 13th general elections (GE13).
The conservative Dewan Pemuda PAS was reported to have mooted the idea last week in what is seen as a challenge to other political parties as they seek to temper the public’s image of them as radical Islamists opposed to flesh-baring foreign artistes at concerts here and market themselves as capable progressive Muslim leaders in tune with current issues.
“There’s a big possibility we will have an asset declaration ceremony. At the muktamar this time. With the hope it will pave the way for all PAS leadership,” the wing’s secretary, Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil, was reported as saying by its party paper Harakah on Friday.
Khairul Faizi reportedly said the youth wing’s executive council had suggested the move even though not all of them will be nominated to contest in the GE13 in an effort to show transparency and would table the motion at the party’s muktamar, or national conference that will be held over two days from November 15 to 16 at Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan.
PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali was reported to have lauded the youth wing’s initiative to declare their assets, calling it inn line with the principle of transparency and resposibility as recommended by Islam.
“PAS has long practised this matter internally which involves those in public office like the mentri besar and the excos. It is good for this matter if done openly,” the party senior told Harakah yesterday.
In offering to declare their assets, PAS Youth will be joining its other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition partners who have proven they walk their talk.
Earlier this year, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his state executive councillors (excos) declared their assets. Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, had pointed out that asset declarations were one of the six key “integrity measures” he had introduced in his administration of Penang, in line with its CAT (Competency, Accountability, Transparency) principles.
