KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia must urgently implement comprehensive political financing legislation to mitigate corruption risks and enhance transparency, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Speaking at the Political Financing International Conference on Tuesday (Jan 14), Azalina highlighted that the absence of specific laws governing political financing in Malaysia creates significant gaps and heightens corruption risks.
She noted that political parties primarily rely on membership fees, donations, asset ownership, and business ventures for funding, which poses risks of corruption.
"Some parties may exploit funding needs to secure undue influence, expecting kickbacks or preferential treatment in return,” she said.
The conference was also attended by the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reforms chairman, William Leong Jee Keen, and acting CEO of Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) Aira Azhari.
Azalina also pointed out that the Election Offences Act 1954, which limits campaign expenditure and mandates election spending reports, applies only to individual candidates and not to political parties, which are not required to disclose their funding sources.
"This is an opportune time for Malaysia to develop robust and effective political financing legislation,” she said, aligning the initiative with the Madani government’s legal and institutional reform agenda.
Azalina noted that many developed nations have established stringent political funding regulations to foster transparency and integrity. These include capping donor contributions and encouraging smaller, public-driven donations to reduce reliance on influential donors.
Meanwhile, commenting on the government’s move to seek a gag order on discussions about former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s judicial review application, which involves claims of a document that allows him to serve his sentence under house arrest, Azlina said that the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) likely has their reasons for pursuing the motion.
"Maybe the AGC have their legal reasons, and they want to submit to court and let the court make a decision. We have to respect that,” she said.
On Monday (Jan 13), senior federal counsel Shamsul Bolhassan representing the government and six other respondents, said that the application was made due to the sensitive nature of the case and the matter is scheduled to be filed on Jan 20. - Bernama
