The Kuala Lumpur Society for Transparency and Integrity is sending out 'personal integrity declaration forms' to cabinet ministers and their deputies, said its president Tunku Abdul Aziz today.

With the voluntary declaration, the local affiliate of Transparency International wants the leaders to make public their pledge that he/she would not, "under any circumstances be a party to corruption, defined as the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain."

In a statement, Abdul Aziz said having supported "without equivocation Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's call for transparency and accountability...TI now invites the prime minister and his cabinet colleagues to make an open declaration of their personal integrity."



Abdullah stood on a platform of clean government during the 2004 polls, and won handsomely as a result - gaining the Barisan Nasional (BN) 198 seats out of 214 in parliament, outdoing all previous ruling coalition majorities.

In his first cabinet meeting yesterday, the premier reminded ministers to safeguard the image and integrity of the government as well as to fulfil the pledges outlined in BN's election manifesto.

Will reveal signatories

Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz said it was important for the people to be given "categorical assurances that the behaviour of individual cabinet members can stand up to the closest scrutiny."

"It is equally important for the public at large to know that those offering themselves for high public positions are willing to make an unambiguous declaration that they will not under any circumstances be party to corruption while holding public office," he added.

TI expects the bulk of responses to be returned by mid April, and plans to make public the list of ministers and deputies who have chosen to sign the declaration, and those who failed to do so.

The corruption watchdog will thereafter pursue state leaders - all menteris besar, chief ministers, and state exco members.

While Abdullah obtained a stunning mandate at the polls, the response to his new cabinet line-up announced Saturday failed to mirror that.

Some interest groups and opposition parties have openly expressed disappointment over the new 93-member cabinet for incorporating those perceived to be tainted by corruption.

Failed first test

The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC) - which earlier called on Abdullah to pick a cabinet that would send out a signal that he was serious about battling corruption - today expressed disappointment with the line-up.

Its coordinator Charles Santiago said appointments to ministerial posts must be considered not only from a legal perspective, but also from popular perception.

"To say that the cabinet is not immune to prosecution does not solve the problem. Instead, it takes away the opportunity to question why some individuals are not being investigated (despite police reports against them)," said Santiago.

"In that sense, Abdullah has failed his first test," he said.

Santiago also exhorted other civil society groups to make clear their views on government decision-making, which, given the BN dominance in parliament is more important now than ever before.

"When Abdullah said 'I will do it my way', it clearly suggests that there's a bit of arrogance in the present administration, which also suggests that they have less reasons to listen to opposing views.

"It is therefore important that the role of civil society must be heightened, to act as check and balance, and to assess the promises made by the government," he said.

On Sunday, in response to opposition criticism over his new cabinet, Abdullah said: "They will always be sceptical. Since when have they said anything good about what we have done? I will run the government and I will run it my way."

GCC is an umbrella network of mainly Tamil-based groups that come together to express their respective community's concerns over democracy.