Saifuddin first to take 'election integrity' pledge

Umno's Temerloh MP Saifuddin Abdullah will be the first electoral candidate to sign the election integrity pledge launched by Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) last Saturday.

Saifuddin (left), who is Umno supreme council member and deputy higher education minister, will sign the document at Parliament House tomorrow.

"Before we launched the initiative, we did not engage any politician because we don't want to be seen as being biased towards anybody,” TI-M president Paul Low said when contacted.

"Saifuddin was the first person to respond. He rang me on Sunday morning and said he prepared to sign the pledge."

With Saifuddin on board, he said he hopes more candidates will join the campaign to eliminate money politics, but stressed that it is not a competition.

The pledge, a non-binding 'social contract' between the signatories and the people, require signatories to reject bribe-taking and money politics during their electoral campaign and when they are voted into office.

Although the contract is not enforced by any authority, the signatories must open a social media account - Facebook and/or Twitter - to allow direct communication with voters who will monitor and give their feedback on their conduct.

TI-M has set up a website,timalaysia-electionpledge.org.my, which will publish details of all signatories.

"They can say it is just a piece of paper, yes, but you will be held accountable. The people will watch you," Low(right) explained.

The pledge, he elaborated, is proposed to individual candidates instead of political parties.

Saifuddin is seen as a reformer in Umno.

He is a strong advocate for returning political rights to university students, and has openly supported public debates among political leaders.