Paul Low: Political funding law will not be tabled before GE14

KUALA LUMPUR: Laws to regulate political funding will not be tabled in Parliament before the 14th general election, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low (pic).

He said the proposed Political Donations and Expenditure Act was a complex and completely new Act, which was still being studied.

"In Malaysia, there's no regulation on political financing at all and this is not ideal," he said, during a press conference, after delivering his speech at the Democracy in Southeast Asia Conference here on Saturday.

He said that if private funding was to be banned, campaigns would instead have to run on public funding.

"However, the public don't believe tax payer money should be spent for campaigning, as certain groups will say they don't support certain parties and don't want their money spent there," said Low, who was also on the National Consultative Committee on Political Financing.

The Committee had come up with 32 recommendations last year to address the lack of laws on transparent political funding, including the introduction of the Act, creation of the office of controller of political donations, and a ban on cash donations from foreign sources.

During his speech earlier, Low said a successful democracy depended on several pillars, including political stability and integrity supported by free and fair elections, plus accountability and no corruption.

Asked by reporters later whether travel allowances offered to voters were effectively bribes, Low said it depended on the how and why such an allowance was offered.

"The questions is —  does it influence someone to vote for you? If the person says 'if I give you money you vote for me' then that is bribery," he said.