Introduce Political Funding Act immediately
SHAH ALAM - The government has been urged to introduce the Political Funding Act as soon as possible as a guide to identify corruption and political donations.
University of Malaya (UM) political analyst Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub said the Act has been introduced a long time ago in other developed countries such as the United States.
He said, if such an Act was not introduced by the government yet, it would invite more speculations or actions linked to criminal activities such as corruption.
"In this case, I do not see any political will among the politicians and leaders. There are too many things that are linked to political funding.
“For me, we need to expedite the implementation of the Act, as how we want the Anti-Party Hopping law (to be implemented).
“Therefore, what harm could it bring to introduce the Act and show that we are actually honest and want to make a change in the country's political context," he said when contacted by Sinar Ahad.
This comes after the revelations made in the ongoing corruption trial of former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over the Foreign Visa (VLN) project on Friday.
A witness told the Shah Alam High Court that Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB), the company that handled the VLN, had in 2018 gave RM1.3 million to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the Home Minister.
Apart from Muhyiddin, five other names of politicians that cropped up during the trial were Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar, former deputy foreign minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Senior Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, veteran politician Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
Meanwhile, political analyst from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani also urged the government to immediately enact such law.
"We are among the countries that still do not have this Act. It already exist in most developed countries.
“So it is time for us to introduce this Act as soon as possible. If it is possible, immediate action could be taken before the next general election,” he said.
