NGOs laud govt move to study funding models of other countries
KUALA LUMPUR: Several nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) said the government’s initiative to look into political funding models of other countries is long overdue.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Akbar Satar said the move could help reduce corruption in the country.
“Today, the issue of lack of transparency and accountability in terms of political financing in Malaysia is a cause for concern.
“It is about time the government came up with a practical formula or mechanism to regulate and channel political financing,” he said.
Akbar said candidates contesting elections were often too dependent on political financiers for their campaign.
He said such non-transparency could lead to corrupt practices.
“Laws to govern political financing must be implemented immediately as political parties are seen as the most corrupted among top six key institutions in the country,” he said.
He added that political contributions should be channelled to party, and not individual accounts.
He said all contributions should be recorded and audited to show transparency.
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia president Mohamad Raimi Ab Rahim also backed the proposal.
He said Germany’s political funding model was more detailed and systematic.
“We fully support any initiative to govern, legalise or regulate political parties.
“We have been working with many institutions, including TI-M and others, in support of this initiative,” he said.
Touching on the United States model of political funding using lobbyists, he said this method could lead to those with vested interests supporting certain parties.
“When big corporations give money and donations to political parties, they expect something in return,” he said.