YOURSAY 'What UM lecturer Muhammad Asri meant is that they would have amassed a fortune that cannot stand up to any close scrutiny.'

Academician: Unfair to ask Najib, Taib to declare assets

Faz: Asset declaration is nothing more than what it says. If you are rich before entering politics, so be it. If you are rich after a long service in the government and can account for it, then you are in the clear.

What we are concerned is those who use their government positions to enrich themselves, their families and their cronies. It is never wrong to be rich. It is only wrong if you 'steal' in whatever ways.

So University Malaya lecturer Muhammad Asri Mohd Ali, your conjecture is wrong in practice and in spirit.

Peacemaker: Muhammad Asri, what local realities are you speaking of - the expectation that they would enrich themselves and that it is all right?

The declaration of assets is a simple matter and after that, get a forensic accountant to go through the figures to see if one's assets are commensurate with his declared earnings and the tax paid thereon.

Even the US president has to declare his assets before taking office and after leaving office.

James Dean: What Muhammad Asri meant is that they would have amassed a fortune that cannot stand up to any close scrutiny. Period

Clearwater: "We have to take local realities in the consideration," said Muhammad Asri.

That one single sentence reveals the situation of Malaysia's ruling politicians. It means the longer they hold a powerful fiduciary position, the more disinclined they are to declare their personal assets.

And they even have so-called academicians who understand their predicament.

Dood: What does length of time as PM, CM, MB or whatever government position got to do with not needing to declare assets?

So you're saying after 'X'number of years you're exempt and can have free unfettered rein to do whatever you want because there won't be any checks?

Lim Chong Leong: Are we to just accept that local realities such as corruption? The length of time of being a politician should have nothing to do with that politician's wealth unless he is abusing his powers to gain wealth.

It is all the more reason why we should investigate and require his or her asset declaration.

Samurai: So what the most enlightened academic is saying that Najib and Taib should be exempt, and declaration of assets should only apply to the poorer corrupt, lesser individuals and the common man, and oh, of course, opposition leaders, no matter how long they have served?

Slumdog: The comments by UM lecturer Muhammad Asri must be one of the most preposterous, absurd, ridiculous and laughable statements by an academic.

I pity the poor students who have to attend his lectures if his comments are any indication of his intellect, which by the way is at the idiot level of IQ, which is about 25 and the mental age of three years.

Kenvy11: The only reason they would not want to declare their assets is because they are not clean. You have given the most stupid reason why they should not declare their assets, Muhammad Asri. No wonder education level in Malaysia so low with such foolish lecturers.

TTT: It's exactly the reason that PM Najib Razak and Sarawak CM Abdul Taib Mahmud are in politics for such a long time that they should declare their assets.

A steady transparent income stream will be easier to track as they have been working in government role for such a long time. If they have been in the government for less time (like in the west), any extraordinary amounts can be justified as obtained when they are not in office, hence such declaration rendered less meaningful.

For a lecturer, I'm really worried what our students are learning.

Rick Teo: I am utterly shocked by Muhammad Asri's remarks. There must be an investigation to see if he is really qualified to be the university lecturer.

For him to say that long-serving politicians should not declare their assets is most shocking. What nonsense is this so-called academician espousing? That it is okay for long-serving politicians to be corrupt by virtue of their length of service?

No wonder our universities have gone down the drain. If he had kept his mouth shut no one would know he is stupid. Now that he has opened his mouth, it's confirmed that he is stupid

Boonpou: Judging from the issues and questions being raised at this particular forum, it is no wonder why the academic standard of Universiti Malaya, and thus also, the rest of the government universities in Malaysia have dropped so much in standard.

How can you improve the standards of higher education in Malaysia when both the faculties as well as the students are below par? Never mind the administrative part of these universities when appointments are determine by racial consideration.

If I have any children, there is absolutely no way, if I can help it, to encourage them to apply to Malaysian government universities. I already know they would be going through a half-cooked system, generating at most, mediocre minds.

FairGame: What sort of answer is that? As a UM lecturer, Muhammad Asri, we would have expect him to put forth better arguments.

Just because someone is in politics for so long, there is no necessity for them to declare their assets?

Or is it his way of arguing that it is all right to make money, illegal or otherwise, as long as one is still in politics? And is that the reason for these politicians to cling to political power for so long?

Mohamad Abdul Malik: Why should Najib and Taib be exempted? They should be the first to do so to lead by example. We do not want a feudal type mentality to creep into the people's mind as that is the thing of the past.

Anyway why should they be worried if any assets owned by them was acquired legitimately and no corruption was involved? Personally, I think the answer and the weird logic presented by the lecturer does not give credit to the institution that he was supposed to represent.

Odin: Muhammad Asri, I do envy your ability to come up with such a rationale. It illustrates a level of intelligence that only geniuses possess.

If only there had been just four or five like you in the payroll of UM, the university would have been ranked in the world's top 10 at the last much-publicised ranking exercise. Keep it up, man.

Oriole: Muhammad Asri needs to understand the abnormality of Malaysian politics where unelected leaders stay in positions of power just with the mandate of their parties. The real worry is how they use their positions to amass wealth instead of serving the nation.

So the longer they stay, the more we need to know about their status and the more need for transparency. Based on his very juvenile response, I am curious why we should care what Muhd Asri thinks. Couldn't UM find more academically-grounded academics?

The Stig: By the same logic, as a Malaysian who was born before Taib and Najib took office, it isn't fair to make me pay taxes also because I've been a citizen for so long. What say you, Muhammad Asri?

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