KUALA LUMPUR – In the absence of a Political Financing Act (PFA), civil society groups are pushing for public funding to have a more reliable and transparent source of financing.
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) chief executive Tricia Yeoh said the public funding of political parties can be a preface to PFA.
Despite a bill having been drafted, the act has yet to be made a reality.
Ideas and independent research group Bait al-Amanah last month called for the immediate tabling of the bill to prevent political corruption.
PFA is based on several principles, among them the presence of the rule of law, checks and balances to prevent unlimited power, and the exercise of political and civil liberties by the electorate.
“Public funding is a way for us to incentivise both the politicians in parties and the public to draw the connection between accountabilities. Right now, there is no incentive for either side,” said Yeoh yesterday during a Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) webinar titled “Money Politics: Financing Free and Fair Elections”.
“The discourse on political financing has not gone anywhere, and now is a good time to talk about public funding because it can be a potential game changer.”
Citing an unkeen public and a government on the fence as some of the challenges faced when broaching the topic of public funding, she said two-thirds of the world’s countries practise such funding of their political parties, with Australia, Germany and South Korea among them.
According to Yeoh, reasons to push for public funding include producing a more stable political environment and a more reliable and transparent source of financing, and promoting gender equality in politics.
Several recommendations of the related mechanisms are based on reports by TI-M, an NGO coalition led by G25, the National Consultative Committee on Political Financing, and Bersih 2.0.
“While there is some scepticism, public funding will pave the way to demand for accountability and transparency, as money from the public is being distributed to the parties,” said Yeoh.
“However, no mechanism will work without a proper oversight regime that involves adequate monitoring by independent authorities.”
She expressed surprise and disappointment that neither PFA nor the National Anti-Corruption Plan is included in the memorandum of understanding signed between the government and opposition on September 13.
The current lack of laws on political financing allows for leeway due to there being no clear boundaries on what is allowed and what is not, she said.
Earlier this year, Bersih urged for public funding, with researcher Ooi Kok Hin saying the policy will aid in curbing corruption and ensuring a fair contest in elections. – The Vibes, September 25, 2021
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