PETALING JAYA: The government will start a nationwide roadshow this year to gather public feedback as a next step towards formulating the political funding bill, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (pic).
The roadshow would be a town hall-style session where individuals and organisations can voice their comments and concerns about the law meant to regulate funding for political parties, said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
Azalina, who oversees law and institutional reforms, said this is because one of the proposed law's critical aspects is how it regulates donations covering three areas.
She added that these are donations in cash or in kind for political parties, individual politicians and election campaigns.
“I want to see more public responses, not just from political parties, although this law is mainly aimed at political parties,” she told reporters after an engagement session between her ministry and stakeholders on Thursday (March 6).
“This is because a political party continues to operate regardless of whether there is an election. An election campaign occurs at a specific time, and it is a crucial period during which they secure funding to win.
“And we have to consider when the donation limits come into effect: before a state election or a general election?” Azalina said, adding that the roadshow is likely to commence sometime this year.
She added that all the proposals from the ministry’s Legal Affairs Division and an All-Party Parliamentary Group would be further studied before a draft of the bill can be drawn up before the next general election.
She declined to set a timeline for when the law would be ready to be tabled in Parliament, stating that it could take between two and two and a half years.
“We already have the expert views, but the public has other views. Because different elected representatives have populations with different expectations.
“Some voters would even vote for a candidate because they like the person and not the political party. They say I want to donate for the candidate’s campaign, not for your political party. So the government must listen to what they say,” said Azalina
