I welcome the announcement of Datuk Seri Azalina, The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) that the Political Funding Bill will be brought to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee before being tabled in Parliament, while wrapping up her ministry at the Parliament.
This is an “important and proactive institutional reform of the Unity Government”.
I further suggest to widely engage the civil society organisations to comment on the content, before tabling the bill to the Parliament.
Obviously, Malaysia urgently needs a political funding act. Former PM Najib was sentenced to jail in the SRC case, and another former PM Muhyiddin was charged with corruption yesterday. Without institutional reform to manage and monitor the funding for the political parties, political fund might become bribery as a means of influencing an individual holding a public duty.
Political funding act can also clearly define and differentiate the legal political funding, and the illegal inducement or unlawful proceed under Section 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, Section 4(1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
A comprehensive political funding act will be another milestone of legislation after Anti Hopping Act. It will further improve the political check and balance, and eliminate political bribery.
DAP Policy Bureau in last year August also came out with the suggestions on the bill, include provisions for the establishment of an independent commission to enforce the political funding law, the creation of a mechanism for the allocation of public funds to prevent a repeat of the 1MDB, and a special parliamentary committee on the details.