Nazri: Receiving foreign funds is not treason

The de facto law minister reiterates today in Parliament that no charges can be brought against a organisation just for receiving foreign funding

KUALA LUMPUR: There are no laws stopping organisations from receiving foreign funding, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abul Aziz despite several parliamentarians pushing for prosecution against those they considered “treasonous”.

“There can’t be any prosecution against those who receive foreign funding. Charges can only be made on bodies which are illegal and go against other laws under the Companies Act or Society Act,” the de facto law minister told Parliament during his winding-up speech of the Budget 2013.

Several BN-friendly independent MPs such as Ibrahim Ali (Pasir Mas) and Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru) today urged again for new legislation to address the issue of channelling of foreign funds to local organisations aimed at “toppling the government” or threatening the nation’s security.

But Nazri firmly repeated several times that no prosecution can be made based on those assumptions alone.

“If it can’t be linked to any offences that threaten security, or linked to anything that amounts to acts of treason, then we cannot act based solely on the fact that they are receiving foreign funding,” he said.

PKR’s Batu MP Tian Chua then asked if the RM40 million smuggled out of Hong Kong by a businessman meant for Sabah Umno, and other genuine bodies such as Red Crescent, Girl Guides, and World Wildlife Fund, would come under the same category.

Zahrain argued that Suaram, which he called “Suara Haram”, was obviously trying to topple the government. And there is a clear distinction between funds that are “genuinely for nation building” and (funds) “to topple the government”

While debating the issue, BN-Sri Gading Mohamad Aziz stood up and asked: “Why do they insist on defending traitors?”

“Because they are traitors themselves!” retorted Ibrahim.

PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad then commented that the main agenda of NGOs such as Suaram was to expose corruption.

“I’m surprised. Suaram exposes corruption, is that something that is considered an act of treason? Or are the protectors of corruption commiting treason,” he said.

In recent months, several NGOs critical of the government, including Suaram, newsportal Malaysiakini, and Lawyers for Liberty, had been “exposed” as receiving foreign funding.

Authorities initiated extensive probes on the financial structures of these organisations, which the NGOs described as an act of intimidation.

Some quarters, including a UN rapporteur, had argued there was nothing unusual about NGOs receiving foreign funds, adding that even the government received international funding.