All members of the Terengganu PAS-controlled state exco must declare their assets to the public and not exclusively to the menteri besar as in the case with other Barisan Nasional-led state governments.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang told malaysiakini this afternoon that the state government would enforce the new rule soon. The move to declare state councillors' assets to the public will also be a marked departure from the current practice in the federal government where Cabinet ministers declared their assets only to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Hadi Awang added that given the state government was still busy with the process of restructuring its administration, the deadline for exco members to declare their assets had not been determined yet.

"The process in which the assets are declared is also being examined," he said.

In addition, Hadi Awang said his state government would establish a hisbah portfolio - a post similar to that of an ombudsman - to receive public complaints on wrongdoings by government officials. He said that former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas had been appointed to head the portfolio.

"The portfolio will act on complaints from the public regarding the abuse of power of wakil rakyat (state assemblymen) and other government officials," he said. "This include the menteri besar."

Asked whether this would be the first ombudsman-style system to be implemented in the country, Hadi Awang said that the Anti-Corruption Agency was meant to play that same role but it had been ineffective under the current Prime Minister.

"The ACA is not independent and free from political intervention," he stressed.

Transparency International Malaysia president Tunku Abdul Aziz said the hisbah system was an excellent idea and should be followed by all state governments.

"I congratulate them for being the first. The office of ombudsmen should be a feature of every government administration, particularly at the federal level," he explained.

He added that his organisation, which campaigns against corruption, had been urging the federal government to openly declare the assets of all Cabinet members.

"It is important to declare their assets to an independent parliamentary committee. It is not good to declare to the prime minister only. Who does prime minister declare his assets to?" he asked.

Meanwhile, DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang said the Prime Minister should take his cue from the new government in Terengganu.

He said some ideas that Mahathir could adopt include the requirement for all Cabinet ministers to publicly declare their assets and the establishment of a national ombudsman or a parliamentary commissioner to receive and investigate public complaints about maladministration, abuses of power and other malpractices in the public service.

On Wednesday, DAP leaders had a two-hour meeting with Hadi Awang and other senior state exco members in Kuala Terengganu to discuss a number of local and national issues. One of them involved the construction of non-Muslims' places of worship.

"The applications by the Kuala Terengganu Buddhist Association, Kuala Terengganu Catholic Church and the Terengganu Prebysterian Church for renovation or construction of new buildings would be given positive consideration by Hadi Awang," said Lim.

The applications were submitted to the previous state government but no approval had been given. Hadi said that he had not received the applications but he would give them positive consideration when the requests come before him.

According to Lim, Hadi Awang also promised that he would consider the proposal from DAP for Terengganu to be the first state government to support Chinese primary schools with a fixed and regular grant.