SIBU: The opposition’s refusal to sign the Transparency International Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge unmasked their true colours.
SUPP Sibu branch vice chairman Daniel Ngieng said yesterday this clearly proved that the opposition had failed to walk the talk in calling for transparency.
“I don’t understand why it is so difficult for them to sign it. This shows they are not serious about transparency but merely use it as a political issue to fish for votes.
“They must stand up to be accountable. And, to sign that pledge is at least showing their sincerity to have a clean election,” Ngieng remarked.
He was commenting on Bernama report quoting the Election Commission (EC) as saying that it was a shame that the opposition party leaders were shying away from the integrity pledge.
EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar reportedly said it was incumbent on candidates contesting in the General Election to sign the pledge as the people desired representatives who did not merely profess to have integrity but practise it as well.
PBB supreme council member Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said: “The opposition refusal to sign Transparency International (TI) Malaysia’s Election Integrity Pledge, only reflect their ‘cakap tak serupa bikin’ or ‘want others to do good virtues but did not practise it themselves’ outlook.
“The opposition has in every aspect run down anything to do with BN…that BN government and their leaders and administrators are corrupt, immoral, insincere, untrustworthy, and that the opposition leaders are angels and God sent and do no wrong.”
He recalled in one function Datin Seri Azizah even said that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was God sent to Malaysia.
“But when you ask them to sign an integrity pledge, they immediately back off! TI is not a government agency or pro government NGO.
“It is an international non-government organisation that advocates transparency, clean government, sincere leaders…the very core subject matter that the opposition says is lacking in BN and which it (opposition) is advocating.”
Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman and Assistant Minister of Youth Development, added that it was a shame for the opposition not to sign the integrity pledge.
Their refusal to do so, only reflected their insincerity and who they really were, he said.
“I hope all right thinking Malaysian can see for themselves now…whether the opposition are really sincere or a better party and leaders than BN,” he noted.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had no qualms about signing the pledge and had stated that every BN candidate would sign it too, Abdul Karim said.