Panel on political funding to include Bar, Transparency International, says Paul Low

Datuk Paul Low with Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Pemandu chief Datuk Seri Idris Jala, during the announcement of a special committee to tackle political funding laws, yesterday. – AFP pic, August 15, 2015.The Bar Council and Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) are among the groups that will be part of the committee to study the regulation of political funds, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Paul Low.

Low, the minister in charge of governance and integrity tasked with heading the committee and selecting its members, said it will be apolitical, and will include those with strong knowledge on subject of political funding.

He said he will also need to invite politicians, but stressed that those selected will be the ones with an understanding of the subject matter and how it affects the party's integrity.

Advocacy groups and non-government bodies, as well as academics and youths, will also be included, Low said.

"Political funding is not an everyday topic, we need people who understand how it affects the party and political institutions' integrity.

"We need people who have researched the topic and know the practices in other countries," he told The Malaysian Insider.

He said given the diversity of interest required in the committee, some sub-groups would be formed, adding that these could be made up of politicians and political parties as "they may think differently from others".

He assured, however, that the proposals from the sub-groups would be taken up to the main consultative committee.

He said they would work within the one-year time frame as there were other due processes to follow after coming up with the recommendations, so that the legislation can be ready in time for the 14th general election.

This includes taking the proposal to the Cabinet for approval and then proceeding to the drafting stage of the law.

The draft enactment would then need to go through another round of consultation with stakeholders before it is taken to Parliament.

There is currently no law to regulate funding of political parties in Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, August 15, 2015.Low said that the regulation must be ready at least one year before the GE14.

"So by the time it reaches Parliament, there should be some form of consensus already," he added.

Asked if the set-up of the consultative committee had any protection under the law, Low said that there was no need for that.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday announced a national consultative committee on political funding to develop a plan to ensure transparency and governance over party funds.

He said he had mooted proposals to regulate political funding since 2009 but did not receive any response.

"This initiative was part of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and under a National Key Results Area (NKRA) to create an administrative mechanism," he told a press conference in Putrajaya.

TI-M president Datuk Akhbar Satar (pic, right), while welcoming the prime minister's plan for the committee, said it should have been done five years ago.

He said the group had  proposed political funding regulations to Najib in the past, but while the Umno president was receptive to it, he did not follow through with them.

‎"One of our 22 recommendations included making it mandatory for disclosure of all sources of financing and expenditure by the political parties. This is indeed a right direction and approach that should have been adopted some 5 years ago," Satar said.

Low (pic, left) said he was aware of the recommendations by TI-M, but noted that they were general proposals.

"They (TI-M) will be included as well in the committee.

"They have done a lot of work but their recommendations were in general, not really in detail,"  Low added.

News of the panel comes amid debate over political funding practices in Malaysia, which has no laws to regulate the amount of donations or disclosure of donors' identities.

Controversy was triggered after the anti-graft agency said that the RM2.6 billion in Najib's personal bank accounts was political donation.

Najib and other Umno leaders said there was nothing wrong with him as party president holding such funds in his personal accounts for the party.

But a few have disagreed, including Low, who said that party funds should not be kept in personal personal bank accounts, but those under the party. – August 15, 2015.