Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKR) state assemblyperson for Padungan Dominique Ng has again called on all elected representatives, including Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, to declare assets and that of their family members in line with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's campaign against corruption.

Ng, who is also PKR state legal advisor, declared his and his family members' assets at the start of the previous sitting of the state legislative assembly in July after the state elections.

The assets include a RM260,000 corner double-storey terrace house in Pisang Road West (still under housing loan), a RM70,000 van (still under hire purchase), an old Volvo and a legal practice.

"As the PKR flag-carrier in Sarawak, I consider it my solemn duty to lead the way and set an example for all Sarawakians.," he said in the state assembly when debating the 2007 State Budget yesterday.

Ng said that "for too long, the Sarawak government has been tarnished by allegations of corruption and favoritism in the award of massive multi-million ringgit contracts and projects to companies owned or controlled by cronies or family members of our leaders."

"We have currently in Sarawak serving high-ranking leaders whose family members own tens of millions worth of shares in companies that are often given mega government projects without tender.

"To restore the people's confidence in the ability of our Sarawak government to carry out its solemn duty without fear, favour or corruption, all the leaders, elected representatives and especially ministers and senior government officers must regularly declare their assets, and be required to do so by relevant laws," the opposition politician said.

He repeated his call on the chief minister and all elected representatives to declare their assets for public scrutiny.

"If we are not corrupt, and have not profited from our public office, then we should have nothing to hide and a declaration of our assets will dispel all such worries and suspicions," Ng said.

Morally wrong

He said there is nothing wrong with being rich, for getting rich is the objective of most commercial and business minded people.

"But it is morally wrong to use our public offices to give projects to and enrich our own family members, relatives and cronies. In Malaysian laws, such acts are also serious crimes punishable with heavy jail sentences," the PKR assemblyperson pointed out.

"Corruption is a serious blight on our society and I strongly support our prime minister's campaign to wipe out corruption in the country," he said.

Ng's comments followed yesterday's strong exchanges between Taib and the DAP state assemblyperson for Kota Sentosa Chong Chieng Jen who raised questions about Taib's family wealth and wide-ranging business interests in Sarawak since taking office in 1981.

Those familiar with the House proceedings said they had never seen Taib so anguished and antagonised over Chong's remarks which questioned Taib's recent statement about loving Sarawak and wanting to see Sarawak grow and prosper and also an article in an Australian newspaper about Taib's family wealth.

It has been estimated that Taib's family is worth at least RM2 billion, though this is not officially confirmed.

Taib said he strongly resented the insinuations and challenged the DAP politician to go outside and repeat his allegations and also made a veiled threat that 'if you want to be very personal, I can be very personal too.'

Chong did not mince his words when he said while Sarawak is endowed with all the riches of its natural resources and earning considerable revenue from oil and gas as well as timber, the people are generally poor, their poverty line below national average and hard-core percentage also below percentage, while the leaders are rich.

When debating the 2007 State Budget earlier, the PKR elected representative also alluded to the extravagant spending of the state when a sum of more than RM5 million was being allocated as aircraft rentals for the benefit of the chief minister.

At the same time, the state government refused to entertain questions in the assembly on the opposition's request for annual financial allocations for independent Chinese and missionary schools in dire needs of funds for repair and maintenance.