PETALING JAYA: The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) has echoed calls for Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal to follow in the Prime Minister’s footsteps to relinquish the Finance portfolio.
Executive director Cynthia Gabriel said the separation of powers must also be practiced at the state level and so far only Penang has giving the Economic Planning and Finance portfolio to its Deputy Chief Minister II.
She pointed out Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Melaka, Johor and Terengganu are maintaining the practice of the Chief Minister and Mentri Besar holding the Finance or Economic Planning portfolios.
“This practice contradicts the spirit of reform as contained in the election manifesto promises of Pakatan Harapan,” she said in a statement on Monday (May 21).
She said promise 12 made clear that Prime Minister will not simultaneously hold other ministerial posts, especially that of the Finance Minister.
“This highlights that the Finance Portfolio is particular susceptible to abuse,” Gabriel said.
She said this is made worse because many states owned and operated their own investment firms such as Menteri Besar Incorporated (Perak), Warisan Harta Sabah, Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (Selangor), and Chief Minister Incorporated (Penang).
“While Sabah is not officially part of Pakatan, we urge Shafie to reconsider transferring the portfolio out as a matter of good governance to instil the confidence required to prevent further mismanagement,” Gabriel said.
She said Sabah has been plagued with two great back-to-back scandals.
The first was in 2016 with the "Sabah Watergate" scandal linked to the Sabah Water Department.
The second was in 2017 when Shafie himself was investigated over projects implemented during his watch as Rural and Regional Development Minister between 2009 and 2015.
This underscores the need for multiple layers of oversight and the decentralisation of power, Gabriel added.
She said GE14 demonstrated the rakyat’s desire for systematic reforms and as such the Ministers must demonstrate real change beyond mere words of reassurance.
“What has been promised in spirit at the Federal level must also be practiced at the state level,” she said.
“C4 Center recommends that all state governments especially in West Malaysia, must also make similar changes in the spirit of reform that brought Pakatan into power,” she added.
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