PENDANG: There is no problem with a minister or a member of the government administration recruiting a family member as his aide if it does not involve any payment of salary or allowance to the aide by the government, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“If such an aide is hired by the minister and gets paid by the government, it is not allowed.
“But if the work is carried out on a voluntary basis and the aide is not a member of the minister’s office, we have no objection to this. (It’s okay if) he assists in the programmes and does not involve any payment to him by the government.” Najib said this to reporters after launching the National Settlers Day celebration and Felda Integrity Plan at a Hari Raya do at the Sungai Tiang Felda scheme, here, yesterday.
On the issue of Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz who was claimed to have hired his own son as a special officer with the ministry, Najib said he understood that the son was not an official aide who was paid a salary by the government.
“I learnt that he is only helping out unofficially. He is not listed as a minister’s aide who is paid a salary and allowance by the government,” he said.
Many quarters have questioned Nazri’s action of roping in his son to allegedly work with the ministry of which he is its minister.
However, yesterday Nazri clarified that his son, Muhammad Nedim, had no official appointment as special officer with the ministry but was only working for him to serve the youths in his parliamentary constituency of Padang Rengas in Perak, and that Muhammad Nedim was not on the government payroll.
On the suggestion to make it compulsory for all members of parliament and state assemblymen to declare their assets every year, Najib said so far the government only required members of the government administration to do so.
“The MPs have no executive power and they can run their own business. There’s no hindrance to doing business as long as there is no conflict of interest,” he said.
Najib said the assets declared to him by members of the government administration could also provide room for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to study the lists of assets declared.
“Even if there are no complaints, the MACC can still scrutinise the lists of assets declared to me,” he added. — Bernama