Good to let MACC vet GE candidates – Yahya

0

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin agreed with a proposal that candidates contesting in the 13th general election should be submitted to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for vetting.

He said candidates with corruption records not only affect themselves but also their political parties.

“The practice of filtering election candidates has been going on to ensure all candidates are clean. It is a good thing to do and continue,” Yahya said when commenting on the proposal by Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel (CCPP) chairman Datuk Johan Jaafar on Thursday.

“I believe this is very important to ensure the integrity of our political leaders in Malaysia,” he said this to reporters after witnessing Sabah Fisheries and Fishermen’s Development Corporation (Ko-Nelayan) and MACC’s corporate integrity pledge at Wisma Pertanian here yesterday.

Yahya said the involvement of MACC in Ko-Nelayan is another positive effort to allow government officers and leaders to follow the good steps, so the public will have their trust in them.

He said the integrity pledge was taken by top leaders of Ko-Nelayan to continue good ethics not only in Ko-Nelayan but also in other agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.

“As of today, I never received any reports of deviation in Ko-Nelayan, but this matter will always be under observation of the State Secretary.

“If there is any deviation, immediate action will be taken according to the law,” he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on Umno vice president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that about half of the 13th general election candidates are new faces, Yahya said it should be considered according to quality of leaders from Youth, Puteri and Women wings, not only new but old faces.

Also present at the event were Sabah MACC director Jalil Jaaffar, General Manager of State Ko-Nelayan Datuk Masood Salleh, Sabah Ko-Nelayan Chairman Datuk Samsuddin Yahya, Ko-Nelayan Deputy Chairman Datuk Abdul Mijul Unaini and members of the Ko-Nelayan board of directors.

Meanwhile, Shamsuddin who was asked about reports on wrongdoings among fishermen selling diesel for profit, he said it might have happened in the jetty and nothing to do with Ko-Nelayan.

Shamsuddin stressed Ko-Nelayan is dealing with the distribution of subsidised diesel only to the jetty.

“We distribute about 15 million liters of diesel a month statewide. So any deviation in the distribution must be done between the jetty and fishermen.

“We will send diesel according to the needs of jetty, for example, if a jetty requires 200 or 500 liters, Ko-Nelayan will send the exact amount,” he added.

He added the enforcement of subsidy distribution was also not under Ko-Nelayan jurisdiction but under a government agency.

According to him, there are only three jetties in Sabah namely, Lahad Datu, Kudat and Sabah Fish Marketing Sendirian Berhad (SAFMA) in Kota Kinabalu.