PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak did nothing wrong in announcing projects after the dissolution of the Parliament, said Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).
“It’s part of his election promise if Najib comes to power after the 13th General Election,” said TI-M Malaysia president Paul Low.
Yesterday, PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar accused the Najib administration of breaching ethics of a caretaker government by announcing projects after the dissolution of the Parliament.
She cited several examples when Najib, on April 5, announced three new projects worth RM8 billion in Putrajaya.
The BN chief had also announced the construction of a RM400 million complex in Perak on April 9, which will be built by a China-owned company, CSR Zhu Zhou Electric Locomotive Company.
Nurul added that Najib and his government were only making a mockery of the integrity pledge they signed with TI-M by breaching the ethics.
Low said that what Najib did was part of the election process by making such promises.
He added that even Pakatan Rakyat would be making promises during the campaigning period, such as the Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s RM6.3 billion mega road infrastructure projects.
“And I’m sure Lim will be talking about the project in his campaigns.
“In my view, if Najib spends money or signs any contracts at this juncture, then it will be wrong,” said Low.
Whether Najib and his Cabinet should emulate Selangor and Penang leadership of returning their official cars, Low said that it would be up to Najib to do so.
He also said that currently, there is no rule that says the Najib administration should do so and the matter needed to be defined by an act of parliament.
“There is also an issue of practicality here. Though the Najib government is the caretaker government now, they are still administering the country.
“So how are we to draw the line? Does Najib have to use his own car now to run his duties as a caretaker prime minister? It’s not easy unless we can come up with a rule,” said Low.
