KUALA LUMPUR: There are no issues to expedite the proposed political financing Bill, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the Bill is currently being reviewed by the relevant bi-partisan Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC).
“I have no objection to expediting the proposed Bill. In fact, the Cabinet has agreed to table it.
“But there must be parameters set which are currently being discussed by the parliamentary committee,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time session at the Dewan Rakyat here, Thursday (Nov 21).
Anwar said this to a supplementary question by Datuk Awang Hashim (PN-Pendang) seeking the progress of the political funding and allowances for the opposition Members of Parliament.
On Oct 15, Anwar said the policy and scope of the proposed political funding law have yet to be finalised as the matter is still under scrutiny by the PSSC.
On Sept 8 last year, Anwar said the Cabinet had agreed that the scope of the proposed law be referred to the PSSC in charge of human rights, elections and institutional reforms.
He added that the Cabinet decided to avoid pushing the proposed law through before it is fine-tuned to avoid negative implications.
The initial proposal was submitted to the PSSC on Nov 9, based on a draft political funding law prepared by the former National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC).
Following its restructuring, the GIACC is now a division under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
A proposal for a law on political funding was noted in 2015 and gained traction following the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.
In 2022, there were plans to fast-track the tabling of a political funding Bill in Parliament, which was to have been drafted by the GIACC.
However, the GIACC was disbanded following the change of administration in late 2022.
