A Penang state executive councillor has challenged BN elected representatives to publicly declare their assets and properties just like their counterparts in Pakatan Harapan.

State executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo challenged the BN representatives to do this within 48 hours so that all Penangites and Malaysians can evaluate for themselves whether the assets and properties need to be further scrutinised.

He added that the BN representatives have been invited to do so by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng himself at the Penang state legislative assembly in November 2013 but none came forward to accept the invitation.

“It is completely unacceptable to note that in this day and age, this asset declaration exercise is not being practised by BN, be at the Penang state level nor their counterparts at the federal level,” Jagdeep said.

He stressed that the Penang government was willing to bear the cost of the declaration as the ones done by Pakatan were certified by an independent auditor.

“This offer was not accepted then and we are not repeating the offer, but making a challenge to the BN representatives,” Jagdeep said at a press conference in George Town.

The last time the Pakatan elected representatives including Lim and the state executive councillors declared their assets and properties publicly was in June 2013, after that year’s national polls.

Penang Pakatan executive councillors first declared their assets in 2012, as promised in the election manifesto.

BN elected representatives have said they had declared their assets to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but Jagdeep pointed out that “there is no point doing this in front of a third party who would keep it in his cupboard”.

“The asset declaration exercise is an integral part of good governance to ensure cleaner leadership and which can foster public confidence in government and enhance legitimacy of the administration in the eyes of the public,” Jagdeep said.

“It should be noted that this exercise even in Penang and Selangor (for state executive officers) is done voluntarily at this point and as such, it ought to be considered whether it should be legislated, so as to make this asset declaration exercise a statutory obligation,” he added.

Jagdeep said the matter involves transparency where ownership of assets and property of elected representatives are concerned.

Serious issues

Jagdeep's remarks come as the chief minister and DAP secretary-general is facing intense pressure over the purchase of his property on Jalan Pinhorn, Greenlane, for RM2.8 million in 2015.

Umno Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya raised the issue in Parliament, accusing Lim of corruption for buying the bungalow at below market price.

Shabudin also linked the purchase of the bungalow to the sale of Taman Manggis – a state government land – to a private company.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has launched a probe into the matter, while Lim insisted that the bungalow was bought based on a willing-buyer willing-seller basis.

Jagdeep also said there are major pending and unsolved allegations surrounding Malaysia and Najib involving state sovereign fund 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion donation in his private bank acccounts.

Najib has denied that he used the money for personal gain and attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has cleared him of any wrongdoing.

“We must not let these serious issues be clouded by unverified allegations against the Penang chief minister over the purchase of his bungalow,” Jagdeep said.

“It is hoped that the investigations be conducted expeditiously so as to clear his good name,” he added.

Accompanying Jagdeep today is Penang executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, who is a relative of the businesswoman, Phang Li Koon, who sold the bungalow to Lim.