APPG reiterates call for political party funding legislation

 

The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Political Financing has reiterated its call for political parties funding allocations to be included in the draft political financing legislation.

In a statement, the APPG secretariat proposed that the state allocate 0.05 percent of the national budget for public funding.

“By allocating a mere 0.05 percent portion of the budget to political parties' finances, public funding can help counterbalance the reliance on private funding, which is susceptible to corrupt influence and policy capture.

“This funding will be distributed to parties that secure at least 1 seat or at least 2 percent of total valid votes cast nationwide,” said the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), the secretariat of the APPG, in a statement.

The APPG also called for an independent commission to oversee political financing as well as proposing that it be done through a new independent commission or grant the authority to the Election Commission (EC).

“International IDEAs’ recent database shows that best practices from nearly 50 percent of 180 countries in the world entrust the oversight of the flow of public and private funding to political parties to the electoral management body.

“However, in Malaysia's context, reforms should be made to the EC to ensure it enjoys public confidence and trust to carry out this role.

“The APPG members conveyed these two provisions to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) and reiterated their offer to work with the government to produce political financing legislation,” it said.

A series of APPG engagements were held this week, which include a briefing session on the Political Financing Private Member’s Bill for MPs and a meeting with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.

A political financing workshop was held today with IDEAS, APPG chairperson Wong Chen, and Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) to raise public awareness of the importance of political financing legislation and the need for solid asset declaration and beneficial ownership laws.

IDEAS senior manager Aira Azhari said that the effectiveness of political financing legislation hinges on the existence of independent institutions.

“This further underscores the significance of institutional reform.

“While regulating political financing is a low-hanging fruit and a first step towards curbing corruption, Malaysia must also undertake a comprehensive institutional reform agenda ensuring the Political Financing Act is not another toothless law,” she said.

In May, Wong called for expediting political funding laws to prevent influential figures or big corporations from exploiting donations to political parties.

The Subang MP added that a draft of a political funding bill had been completed before GE15 but did not provide for political or state funding of political parties.

Azalina said in March that the government was committed to resubmitting the bill to the cabinet for fresh approval, which would also allow MPs and other stakeholders to provide feedback on the proposed legislation. - Mkini