Under the Leadership Code Act, all public servants are required to declare their wealth to the Inspector General of Government.

The reasoning behind is that the government ombudsman should be able to monitor their wealth as a way of curbing corruption in public offices. Non-declaration or false declaration of one's wealth may attract dismissal from the public office one is holding, on top of other penalties.

Although more than nine out of 10 public officers have declared their assets and liabilities, corruption in such institutions does not appear to be subsiding. This means that either the Leadership Code Act is weak or it has serious lacunae that impede effective monitoring or identification of corrupt officials and ultimately, sanctions against them.

One of the key impediments is within the Leadership Code Act itself. Under the Code, the declaration of public officers' assets is only made to the Inspector General of Government. The particulars of the declaration remain only in the custody or domain of the IGG. The public has no idea of what public officials declare and therefore cannot know whether their declarations are correct or false to help them alert the IGG.

The IGG has repeatedly refused to disclose to the media or the public the officers who have declared their wealth and what assets they have declared. The IGG argues that the declarations are confidential and therefore out-of-bounds for the public. But it's the public that would help in tipping-off the IGG about officers who under-declare their assets. So how does the IGG expect to catch the offenders without help from the public? It's as futile as the police saying they will fight crime without involving the public.

This provision of the legislation, which makes the declarations secret, shoots down the whole purpose of the Leadership Code Act. Like a candle that is lit only to be covered under a basket, the Leadership Code Act provides for accountability without ensuring transparency.

Transparency in declarations helps mobilise the public to help the IGG and other arms of government hold public officials accountable.

If the declarations were made public, people would know which property of which officer was not declared and would volunteer information to the IGG. But as long as the declarations remain confidential or secret, the requirement of public officers to declare their assets to the IGG will remain a futile strategy to check illegal accumulation of wealth by corrupt public officers.