KUALA LUMPUR: All 72 registered political parties in the country will be asked to formally state their position on the proposed Political Funding Act as part of the process of drafting the legislation.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (pic) said she hopes the Act would come into force before the next general election.
She said the response from the public had been very good but wants political parties to provide their views officially in writing.
“We have 72 political parties, and we want formal feedback officially from all of them in writing on this law. So we have proof.
“The written responses would show which parties supported the legislation and which did not, while allowing them to put forward their own suggestions.
“I would be surprised if there are political parties that speak about anti-corruption but object to this law,” she told reporters after the Political Funding Convention 2026 here yesterday.
Azalina said several issues surrounding political donations still needed to be resolved, including how foreign funding should be regulated to ensure such contributions do not influence the country.
She said the law would decide whether political donations should be tax-exempt or if donors should disclose the source of their funds and if an individual could contribute to more than one political party.
“Extensive disclosure requirements could discourage legitimate donations,” she said.
Azalina also said there is a need to protect such legitimate donors, including clarity over whether they could be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission simply for making political contributions.
She said these issues would have to be discussed when the proposed legislation went before Parliament, as politicians need to have their say as the law would directly apply to them.
Earlier, Azalina said nine policy parameters were being refined, including sources and limits of contributions, foreign donations, traceable funding channels, reporting, auditing and disclosure, as well as offences and penalties.
She said the legal affairs division under the Prime Minister’s Department had held 18 engagement sessions involving 1,544 participants since it began studying the Bill in May 2023.
A public perception study involving 3,422 respondents had also been conducted.
