PETALING JAYA: The Political Financing Bill – aimed at checking corruption concerning political funds – will be introduced once a comprehensive review is done and is inclusive of all voices, says Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran.
He said the draft of the Bill is still being finalised by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department due to the high number of engagements with stakeholders.
“Of these, 12 state-level engagement sessions involved the participation of 1,544 attendees, including those from federal and state government officers, political parties, village development and security committees, chambers of commerce, business associations, NGOs, academics and youth groups.
“This demonstrates the government’s commitment to strengthen democratic practices involving public participation, enhancing transparency, and ensuring that every policy and piece of legislation formulated takes into account the realities and needs of the people,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Several MPs, when contacted, called for the Bill to be expedited so that its legal enforcement could start before the next general election.
“Without clear regulations, elections often become a battle of who has the deepest pockets rather than who has the best ideas,” said Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman.
“Expediting this before GE16 would ensure that all candidates and parties compete on a fairer basis.”
She spoke on the need for strict prohibition of any form of political financing from foreign entities.
Furthermore, she said that there must be a cap on how much a donor can contribute annually to prevent any single entity from buying political influence.
Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said that he is all for the Bill “because this will be a game changer in killing corruption and restoring the people’s trust in politics”.
Perikatan Nasional MP for Pasir Mas, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, said there must be transparency to ensure the source of the funds are above board.
Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the law is needed to control the entry of foreign contributors to political parties.
“Otherwise, this could lead to foreign interference in steering the country’s direction,” he said.
