KUALA LUMPUR: A meeting between the secretaries-general of all political parties and the government to discuss the proposed Political Financing Bill will be held soon, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) said the planned meeting, chaired by herself, would be used to gather the views.
She said this was due to several policy matters in the bill that have not reached unanimous agreement.
This includes the need for public funding for political parties, contribution limits, and entities that will regulate political funds, according to Azalina.
“It will be used to determine the positions of the parties on the proposal for the bill's drafting and to discuss any outstanding policy issues.
“The government will also listen to and gather views from both government and opposition political parties through universities as neutral parties,” she said in a parliamentary written reply on Wednesday (March 5).
Azalina also said that this meeting would also include a study of all political parties and stakeholders' views, including that of the public.
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“This is to ensure that decisions taken are inclusive and involve various perspectives which is essential to ensure that the policies implemented genuinely reflect the desires and needs of the people.
“Through this approach, the government can ensure that every step taken is based on accurate and transparent data, ultimately benefiting society as a whole,” she added.
Azalina also revealed that eight engagement sessions have been held, including five sessions with political party representatives and government agencies, and three meetings with the Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections, and Institutional Reform on the bill, as of February 2025.
She was responding to Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) who wanted to know the current status of the highly anticipated bill’s drafting, number of engagement sessions conducted, and when the bill would be presented in the Dewan Rakyat.
Previously, a proposal for a new law on political funding was first mooted in 2015, which gained massive support following the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
In 2022, this culminated in a plan to table a Political Financing bill in Parliament, which was to be drafted by the former National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC).
However, this effort fell apart after the GIACC was disbanded following the change of administration in late 2022.
