KUALA LUMPUR – Disciplinary action awaits any administration or civil service member who uses government machinery for election campaigns, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this applied to any minister, civil servant or government agency employee, adding that there must be evidence of such wrongdoing for action to be taken.
He also said this would not apply to projects in a constituency facing an election if the project had been announced beforehand.
“I have decided, and the cabinet has agreed that ministers, civil servants or any government agency, are forbidden to use government machinery as part of their campaign as soon as candidates (are announced on) nomination day.
“If there is evidence (that they did), we will take whatever reasonable action required, as they have violated the cabinet decision, so disciplinary action can be taken. I do not waver, I have two deputy prime ministers next to me on this.
“However, it is entirely different if, for example, a project for the constituency was announced prior to the election,” Anwar said during Prime Minister’s Questions.
Anwar was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PN), who asked about reforms to curb corruption, and if this included action when projects during election campaigns, such as for the recent Sg Bakap by-election, were announced.
This was in reference to an announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who announced on July 4 two projects for Sg Bakap, in Penang, if Pakatan Harapan (PH) were to win the by-election. The projects mentioned by Zahid were an activity centre for the elderly and a Tamil school.
PH did not win the Sg Bakap poll on Saturday, losing by a 4,267-vote margin to Perikatan Nasional.
In April, ahead of the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election on May 11, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had announced some RM5 million worth of public infrastructure projects for the area, channelled through Hulu Selangor Municipal Council, and another sum of over RM600,000 through the area’s village community management council.
This led to accusations of vote-fishing by the opposition and by civil society groups, including Bersih.
However, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it would not investigate Nga as no formal complaint was lodged. – July 9, 2024