All Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen in Penang have declared all the assets that they own.
Last year, only the state executive councillors were instructed to make a public declaration of their assets.
However, the declaration does not cover the properties owned by the assemblymen’s spouses and children.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that Penang is the first state in the country to introduce this practice.
“We are fulfilling the Pakatan’s election manifesto. We had promised that the declaration of assets would be extended to all assemblymen,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
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When asked why the assets owned by spouses or their children were not included, he said that this was not included in the election manifesto.
Lim said that the details of the declaration of assets included properties, investments and motor vehicles as of May 5.
Copies of the declarations by the 11 exco members, including Lim and 19 other assemblymen were distributed to reporters.
Lim said that the declarations would most likely be uploaded onto the state’s official website, http://www.penang.gov.my/ today.
Newly sworn-in Exco members and assemblymen had declared their assets as of May 5 while the incumbents had declared their assets before and after they assumed office in March 2008.
As for the asset declaration by the Pakatan MPs in the state, Lim said that the matter would be communicated to them.
When asked why he does not own a car, Lim said that he already has an official car and that his old car had been sold off.
“But since the rules now say I am qualified to buy a car, so maybe I might buy a car,” he said.
On the purchase of new official vehicles for state Exco members, state Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said that an announcement on the type of vehicles available would be made once it was confirmed.
