No proof any elected rep paid to party-hop, says MACC chief

 

MACC chief Azam Baki says there is a need for a political funding Act to differentiate between donations and bribes.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki says the anti-graft agency has not been able to conclusively prove that any elected representative has received money to switch parties.

Azam confirmed that the MACC had received several reports of certain elected representatives being offered money to party-hop, but said this was difficult to prove.

“I do not deny that the MACC has received reports in relation to politicians being offered money to switch parties, but it cannot be proved that money had been paid in any of these cases,” he said.

He supported enacting a political funding Act to ensure that political parties did not receive illegal funds, saying it was difficult to differentiate between political funds and bribes at the moment.

While the MACC would still initiate an investigation if a report was lodged, he said, only such an Act would be able to control funding from unknown sources.

“This is because these funds could have come from illegal sources,” he said, adding that Malaysia should emulate other countries with a similar Act enforced.

He said this would also allow politicians to prove to voters that they practised transparent leadership while upholding their integrity.

On Jan 20, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Putrajaya had agreed to finalise and table an anti-party hopping bill in the next Dewan Rakyat session starting on Feb 28.

The anti-hopping bill was among the 18 proposals in the memorandum of understanding signed between Pakatan Harapan and the federal government last September. - FMT