Declare more than RM10k in election donations, politicians urged

In calling for more transparency ahead of the next 14th general election, political economics professor Edmund Terence Gomez today urged politicians to declare any individual donations received that amounted to more than RM10,000.

Speaking at a forum after the launch of electoral reform coalition Bersih latest campaign, Gomez pointed out that such political financing reforms are necessary as the next polls would see heated contests from all parties.

"Where is the money coming from for the elections?

"It is our right to know who is funding the politicians in the run-up to GE14," he stressed.

"Can we get a commitment from all politicians, RM10,000 and above please declare who the donors are?" asked Gomez who earlier reiterated that both BN and Pakatan Harapan had previously rejected proposals for political financing reforms drafted by civil society groups.

"Politicians are not listening, they don’t want it (reforms).

"That is a scary thought. If we don’t know where the funds are from, how do we know that public policies are in the interest of the people and not the interest of the funders?" 

Gomez earlier recalled that after the first Bersih rally which included calls for political financing reform, Putrajaya had through its Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) eventually set-up a committee to look into the matter.

He said the first initiative was however short-lived and later taken over by Transparency-International Malaysia as part of its own research.

"Then we entered the 2013 general election which was a deeply monetised election," he said in pointing out how Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak (photo) had eventually disclosed that the controversial RM2.6 billion donation deposited into his bank account was used to fund BN's GE13 campaign.

In 2016, a national consultative committee on political financing chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low was set up following a backlash on the RM2.6 billion issue.

Among its 32 recommendations include the proposed Political Donations and Expenditure Act (PDEA), and Low had said last November that consultations on its draft bill would be completed soon. 

At the time, Low said the cabinet had already discussed the draft bill and his next task was to garner the support of political leaders for the legislation.-Mkini