It is not wrong for a prime minister to helm the finance ministry portfolio, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister added that it would only be wrong if the position was abused to steal people’s money.
“Throughout our (nation’s) history, whether it is a unity government or not, it has never been a problem (for a prime minister to helm the finance portfolio).
“The problem is if we abuse the position to steal the people’s money, and this is used by many of those from the ‘clean’ circles, whether from this (the government) or that side (the opposition).
“However, those involved in corruption should be worried. No matter what, I am determined that the unity government administration will avoid corruption,” he said during today’s inaugural Prime Minister’s Question and Answer Session (PMQ) session in the Dewan Rakyat.
Anwar said this in response to a question by Putrajaya Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin about whether the Tambun MP agreed that Barisan Nasional’s government contributed to the nation’s debt and liability.
Anwar noted that there was also a lot of damage done during the Perikatan Nasional administration.
“Yes, there were leakages during BN’s time. However, there were also damages done during PN’s administration, aside from the (misappropriated) 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds. This includes the Flood Mitigation Projects and other leakages that are under investigation,” he said.
He added that the projects are within the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for investigation.
