Ambiga: We will hold Najib to his integrity pledge

Bersih 2.0 will take Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on his word on the electoral integrity pledge he recently signed with the Malaysian chapter of governance watchdog Transparency International.

"We shall hold Najib to each and everyone of those pledges," Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan told a forum on constitution and governance in Kuala Lumpur today.

"We won't count what went on before the pledge, though we are sure they did not adhere to the pledge prior to the signing," she said.

The forum, at activist group Loyarburok's resource centre, was held in conjunction with the launch of the book The constitution of Malaysia: A contextual analysis written by Professor Andrew Harding.

Met by reporters later, Ambiga said while the signing of the pledge was not legally binding, it was common sense that all those elected, or who were vying for election, should act responsibly and with integrity.

"These are the people who are going to be lawmakers," she pointed out.

The four-point pledge that Najib signed states that BN leaders contesting in elections would:

• Make truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability their practice and refrain from accepting or giving bribes and other corrupt practices;

• Uphold and give priority to the interests of the rakyat;

• Practise good governance and transparency; and

• Comply with all the applicable laws and regulations of Malaysia.

The initiative, started last year by TI-Malaysia, received poor response from both sides of the political aisle, with only four out of the 222 MPs signing.

However, Najib said that he would get all BN candidates to adhere to the pledge, though that could well be a tall order, many believe, since even the ministers in his handpicked cabinet present at the signing ceremony did not ink the pledge.