‘Ploy can never disunite us’

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Adenan says opposition cannot sow discord in state cabinet through integrity pledge insinuation

KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem says any attempt by the opposition to drive a wedge between him and his cabinet ministers over the integrity pledge issue will fail.

Adenan said this was because they believed in cabinet solidarity and therefore would not be that “stupid” to listen to the accusation made by opposition members.

On the integrity pledge, he said all his cabinet members would sign it after all the state government departments, statutory bodies and its related companies and subsidiaries had all made their pledge.

“It is not fair to say or imply that they (state cabinet members) are afraid to sign the integrity pledge because they have something to hide. (In fact), some of them have already asked me when they are going to sign the pledge.

“It will be done in due time but it is not fair to accuse them of dishonesty on their part because they have not signed it yet. They will sign it in the future,” he told a press conference in his State Legislative Assembly office, here, yesterday.

When asked for a time frame for his cabinet members to sign the integrity pledge, Adenan’s answer was “as soon as possible”.

Meanwhile, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani said the time frame for the government agencies to sign the integrity pledge depended on the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission (MACC) that would provide training to them.

“We have to go with the MACC because the training is provided by them. If they can do it fast, we can do it fast as well.”

Morshidi said so far, there are eight or nine government agencies which had subscribed to the integrity pledge.

“Meaning to say that if a ministry signs an integrity pledge, everybody involved in the ministry are subjected to the pledge including the minister.”

As for civil servants, he said they already made similar pledge under ‘Aku Janji’.