SELAYANG – The practice of having leaders to declare their assets has long been practiced by the state government.
Selangor Menteri Besar, Amirudin Shari said the practice of declaring the assets reflects the independence of leaders while giving the people the right to see the extent of honesty of these leaders when they have been given trust and power.
Amirudin also denied allegations that this practice is contrary to Islamic teachings.
“This is a concept that I believe is very close to the administration and is sincere as Islam guarantees the right for the people to know and see whether the leader is handling the trust and doing the job well or taking advantage of the opportunity,” he said.
He said this at the Aidilfitri Aidilfitri Open House and the Taman Templer State Legislative Assembly and Selayang Parliamentary Hall in Dataran Ilmu, Selayang Baru here, on 7 July.
Amirudin also cited the story of government transparency under the administration of Saidina Umar Al Khattab when managing war booty.
“I have pointed out how the story of Saidina Umar Al Khattab who was asked about his robe being a little longer than it should have been when delivering a sermon as the cloth they received as a result of the spoils of war should not be as long as his,” explained Amirudin.
“Umar replied calmly and explained that his fabric was longer because he used a cloth owned by his son, Abdullah Umar, who was also in war and got the booty,” he said.
Thus, Amirudin said Umar’s declaration proved that Islam demands that the leader be responsible for declaring the property to be comparable to his or her qualifications or abilities.
