Politics

Parliamentary group submits motion on tabling of political funding bill

KUALA LUMPUR: The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Political Financing has submitted a motion to table a private bill on political funding to Parliament.

APPG chairman Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (Pas-Pasir Mas) said the motion was submitted to the Dewan Rakyat secretary on July 13.

Fadhli, who was speaking at a press conference in Parliament today, said the group hoped the bill would be a step towards curbing corruption and ensuring a level of responsibility and transparency in the management of political financing or donations.

"This is in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's commitment for a bill related to political funding to be tabled.

"We hope that it can be tabled in Parliament in this session, hopefully before the 15th General Election," he said.

Present were Lembah Pantai member of parliament and APPG deputy chairman Fahmi Fadzil and Parti Pejuang Tanah Air president Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

Fahmi said the group believed that the bill was just one of the many reforms needed to improve the country's democratic practices.

"It won't be enough to just have a political financing bill or only an anti-party hopping law. It must be looked at as a holistic effort.

"The APPG is a good platform to accelerate the process of drafting the law," he said.

He said there has to be an assessment to identify loopholes in the bill, and whether there was a need to amend other acts to ensure that the political funding law was effective.

Mukhriz (Pejuang-Jerlun) said there should be mechanisms to level the playing field and supervise how political parties receive funding.

"This is so that all political parties in the general election have an equal chance to compete," he added.

The prime minister, on May 19, said the government had agreed in principle to the drafting of a political funding bill.

The Pakatan Harapan presidential council, on June 14, had urged the government to expedite the tabling of the bill and to place the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission under Parliament's jurisdiction.

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