State funding for parties will offer competitive democracy, says expert

 

Political financing expert Fernando Casal Bertoa proposed that parties wanting state funding must first cross a “threshold of relevance” in the nation’s political system.

PETALING JAYA: State funding for parties will create a more competitive democracy in multi-party Malaysia, a political financing expert said.

Fernando Casal Bertoa, from the school of politics and international relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, said state funding will preserve the longevity of smaller parties and create a more balanced dynamic between these and more established parties.

However, he said parties must meet certain criteria to qualify for funding. He proposed that they be assessed based on their performance in a general election and suggested that they must secure a minimum of two per cent of the popular vote or win at least one seat in the Dewan Rakyat.

“Once they cross the threshold of relevance, they will be funded by the state,” Bertoa told FMT, adding that the condition was important to prevent the “mushrooming” of political parties and so as not to burden government coffers.

In Malaysia, the talk of establishing a political finance law has been ongoing since 2022, with several stakeholders calling for the proposed bill to include state funding.

Bertoa said such a law will be an effective weapon to combat political corruption. It promotes healthy competition between political parties, he said.

Bertoa cited Armenia and Georgia as countries which have improved their democratic process significantly following a change of government in 2003 and 2018, respectively.

“The government needs to look at new democracies and countries that are having the same problem (of transitioning to an advanced democracy),” he said.

In May, Subang MP Wong Chen, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group Malaysia on political financing, said state funding will elevate Malaysia towards becoming one of the more advanced democracies.

However, he said state funding must incorporate safeguards to prevent its abuse.

The current unity government is made up of 19 parties, including the political coalitions such as Pakatan Harapan, Barisan Nasional and Gabungan Parti Sarawak.- FMT