Difficult To Promise Azalina Says On Political Financing Law Before Ge16

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Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said today acknowledged that the government may not be able to pass a law to regulate political financing before the 16th general election.
She said it was due to the need for it to be thoroughly examined by gathering input from various stakeholders, particularly the public.
“It’s hard to answer because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” she told the media after an engagement session on policy setting for drafting the Political Financing Bill in Kuala Lumpur today.
Asked whether the bill would be tabled before several state elections are due to take place, Azalina said she could not provide an answer at this time.
“I don’t know whether the cabinet wants to review it at the state level first; we just have to evaluate it. I seriously cannot confirm anything right now.
“For example, we all know there are many different recipes for making a cake, so which is the best recipe? We have to make a decision,” she added.
Ahead of the Sabah elections due this year, corruption allegations linked to the state government and Chief Minister Hajiji Noor had renewed calls for the enactment of political financing regulations.
Three aspects
Azalina said the drafting of the bill must take into account three main aspects - political parties, politicians, and election campaigns.
This was because these are the three primary levels of contributions that typically occur in the country’s political landscape.
“Sometimes, you’re not contesting in an election but you still receive funds because they support your vision as a party or as an individual,” she explained.
Earlier, in a written reply to Dewan Rakyat, Azalina stated that as of February this year, eight engagement sessions had been held, including five sessions with political party representatives and government agencies, as well as three meetings with the Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Human Rights, Elections, and Institutional Reform.
She added that on Feb 10, the PSSC had submitted feedback on improving the scope of the bill.
“However, some key policy issues have yet to reach unanimous agreement, such as the need for public funding for political parties, donation limits, and the entity that will regulate political funding,” she said.
Azalina reiterated that several policy matters remain unresolved, including public financing for political parties, contribution limits, and the regulatory body for political funds.
“Therefore, a meeting will be held soon with the secretary-generals of all political parties.
“This meeting, chaired by me, will gather the parties’ views and positions on the proposed bill and discuss the emerging policy questions,” she added.
Public feedback
Further, Azalina said she will focus on gathering public feedback through a nationwide tour that includes town hall sessions across the country this year.
“I want to get more public feedback, not just from politicians, even though the law will primarily benefit politicians,” she said.
Additionally, Azalina expressed satisfaction with the consensus reached by all parties that foreign funding or influence should not be allowed to prevent external control.
“I was quite pleased just now; everyone agreed that we should not allow foreign donors, foreign influence, or foreign donations because we do not want to be controlled from the outside,” she said. - Mkini

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