Chance to tackle political financing

THOUGH talk about the general election saturates the air, there is one critical dimension of the electoral process that has not received the attention it deserves from both politicians and the general public. This is the financing of the 14th General Election which is just around the corner.

We know so little about the funding of elections in Malaysia partly because existing laws are woefully inadequate. The Election Offences Act 1954 does prohibit bribery and corrupt practices and sets limits on campaign spending for every candidate (RM200,000 for a parliamentary seat and RM100,000 for a state seat).