Political Funding - Should there be transparency?
Now, allegedly a large sum of monies was transferred into Prime Minister Najib's personal bank account/s? Najib allegedly has not denied whether was such monies transfered into his account - all he said was 'not for his personal gain'. Then yesterday, Barisan Nasional strategic communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan was reported saying:-
Following this disclosure, was that account which allegedly large sums of monies were transferred to really 'a trust account on behalf of UMNO' - then, surely the Deputy President of UMNO, Muhyiddin Yasin, should have known this? In any event, time will hopefully reveal the truth..."I wish to inform that the Umno constitution provides for the party president to have a trust account on behalf of the party... "It is not impossible or surprising if the (current) Umno president and previous presidents have a trust account for the party," he [Barisan Nasional strategic communications director Abdul Rahman Dahlan] told reporters after opening the Kubang Pasu Umno Youth delegates meeting in Kubang Pasu today. - Malaysiakini, 1/8/2015, 'Umno allows trust account under president's name'
Back to political funding...
Muhyiddin Yassin
I am of the opinion that there should be transparency - maybe not for small donations (of up to RM10,000[or RM20,000] from individual persons) - but there must be transparency for all donations from corporations/businesses and for large individual donations.
Certainly full disclosure of any or all contributions for political funding to political parties or politicians from any public listed company or its subsidiaries, or its partially owned companies'. Why? Because it is public-listed and what it does with its moneys directly affects the ordinary 'public investor' - shareholder. Not maybe the same standard of requirement for private companies - that really is up to the shareholders how monies are spent.
Certainly full disclosure of all contributions for political funding to political parties or politicians by statutory bodies - in fact, they should not be making such contributions.
Certainly full disclosure of all government-owned(either fully or partially owned) companies and their subsidiaries - Why? They belong to all Malaysians - and really they should not be making any particular contributions for political funding to political parties or politicians.
A political party and/or politician could easily be 'bribed' by corporations and businesses, which may have an impact in government policies and positions taken. This may be detrimental to workers, or ordinary people - i.e. all those not making 'political contributions'.
'Donations' could also be really disguised 'bribes' - maybe resulting in the allocation or approval of particular projects and tenders to particular persons or businesses.
Now, with this current issue relating to 1MDDB and monies allegedly transfered into bank accounts under the name of the Prime Minister - many questions are emerging.
Has the BN Federal Government been causing government-owned or government-linked companies to make 'donations' or 'contributions' to political funds of political parties/personalities?
Similarly, we can ask the same question about the currently Opposition governed States of Selangor, Penang and Kelantan? Here, the question is whether the state government-owned or state government-linked companies to make 'donations' or 'contributions' to political funds of political parties? Well, maybe Azmin, Guan Eng and Ahmad Yakob to assure us that this has never been happening in their respective States... Wonder whether PKNS, in Selangor for example, is providing funds to PKR or PKR politicians?
We also would like to know whether corporations and persons who did make contributions to 'political funds' of parties/politicians have been given preferential treatment when it comes to tenders, projects and other benefits by governments? We would need to have the list of contributors to political funds to find out whether this has been happening...
Opposition parties reasonably maybe worried about 'total transparency' when it comes to individual Malaysian's donations. Why? Well, the BN government is perceived to allegedly discriminate against Opposition party members/supporters - and possibly similar discrimination may be visited on those individuals who are making donations/contributions to Opposition parties if their names/identity are known...[I suspect, the same fear also will exist the other way around in Opposition governed States]. Hence, total disclosure of names of all persons. even those making small donations, may in fact significantly 'reduce'/diminish the amount of funds received. [But then for small amounts - anonymity can still be maintained for after all one can simply walk to the ATM and deposit cash into any bank account of political parties...].
Hence, maybe no need for disclosure of individual person contributors to political funds with regards to donations not more than RM10,000(or maybe RM20,000)...
Yes - TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Likewise, many BN and Opposition MPs/ADUNs/Senators are getting large sums of allocated funds to spend in their constituency > there really must be full disclosure as to how and where these funds are being spent. These money is meant to be utilized for all in a particular constituency/area > but if it is unreasonably being expended on any particular class or area - there must be accounting for this is very wrong.
Jul 31, 2015
By Abdul Rahman Dahlan
Stumbling block to political funding reform
First, let's talk facts. Political donation is legal in Malaysia.
If you have special preference for a political party and believe in their struggle, you can help them achieve their goals by donating your money and/or assets. Truth be told, you can donate any amount you like: RM10, RM1,000 or even a million – or a billion ringgit for that matter – if you have that kind of amount to spare.
Looking back, I used to be a member of the MACC's Special Committee on Corruption for a span of 5 years (2008-2013). I know for a fact that those fine men and women of the MACC have been trying to get political parties to agree to a more transparent procedure when it comes to political donations. MACC has said that they aspire to have all donations officially declared in the name of transparency and accountability.
When the MACC came up with the notion of political funding reforms, the first head of a political party who supported the idea, would probably surprise you. It was none other than Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, the Umno president who publicly declared his support to the MACC's proposal and wanted it to be implemented and co-opted under the Government Transformation Programme's initiative.
One of the first parties to object to the funding reform was DAP. The reason given by DAP was largely self-serving – and what a huge disappointment that had been. DAP's leaders said they feared that the reform would put DAP at a disadvantage.
On Dec 1 2010, in a meeting with Transparency International – Malaysia (TI-M) with Pakatan Rakyat’s members of parliament, (PKR’s) Tian Chua was reported in the minutes of the meeting to have said, “He feared that full disclosure would hurt their contributors and consequently the financing for the opposition, the fear is that the donors might be prosecuted by the winning coalition for supporting the losing coalition in any general election. This would result in a substantial decline of income source for the losing coalition”. DAP’s Rasah MP Anthony Loke said essentially the same in a Bar Council Forum about political funding on Sept 29, 2011.
Funding from foreign sources
Going along the same argument, why couldn’t Pakatan Rakyat reveal since 2008 the donations they have received from businessmen and individuals in the two richest states they governed – Penang and Selangor – in Malaysia? Clearly the fear of backlash as cited by Tian Chua and Anthony Loke was just a lame excuse and not done in the best interest of transparency.
Everyone knows that the opposition parties are quite savvy in raising funds for their operations. It is also an open secret that they receive political funding from interested businesses and individuals, not to mention from the traditional but effective fund-raising dinners held almost weekly (if not nightly). While no one will be surprised if the funding comes from domestic sources, many people have been speculating that opposition parties also receive funding from foreign sources, too. Some seem to be disguised as NGO funding for the advancement of democratic ideals. Or so it would seem.
Coming back to matters at hand and with that strong objection from DAP, the political funding reform initiative was effectively shelved – it became a non-starter. It never took off. It stalled. Until now many people couldn't believe why DAP – a political party that prides itself as reformist party – didn't accede to the idea. It seems to many people political contribution for DAP is very crucial. Thus any disruption to the free flow of political funding would be disastrous to DAP's grand plan of Malaysian Malaysia.
Otherwise, an unequivocal rejection by DAP of a sure slam-dunk reform initiative like this seemed very odd indeed. No thanks to DAP, Malaysia has lost a great opportunity to address the growing concerns of secrecy regarding political funding in this country.
So, I find it rather perplexing that lately the likes of Tony Pua and Lim Kit Siang have been hypocrite enough in demanding Dato' Sri Najib to reveal the sources of political funding for Umno, when they have maliciously rejected the political funding reform initiative in the first place.
I recall in minute detail a debate I had in parliament after the 12th general election. I asked DAP MPs how did DAP get so much money to build their new spanking multi million state headquarters in Penang within a mere two years of Lim Guan Eng becoming the chief minister. After alI, I said it took Gerakan a long 12 years to build its state headquarters which happens to be just an ordinary premise. And I reminded DAP not to forget its socialist roots, which includes loathing anything that smacks of grandeur.
As if on cue, several DAP MPs rose to their feet and started hackling me in the middle of my speech. One of them, Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP's MP for Bruas, shouted across the divide, that DAP had plenty of supporters who were willing to donate their money for DAP’s cause.
On another occasion, during the Permatang Pauh election in 2008 (when Anwar Ibrahim stood as parliamentary candidate), for the first time in the whole of my political career, BN was out-spent in terms of logistics and election machinery e.g. posters, banners and campaign activities. Every time we planted one BN flag, within two hours it would be drowned by hundreds of opposition flags. Whenever we put up sizeable banners, the opposition would outdo us with twice the magnitude within half a day.
It is clear that without huge political donation, there is no way for the opposition parties to run their massive election machinery.
Holding the higher ground
Based on this ethos of political funding, Umno too, is familiar to such pursuit. It is my hope that Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) does remember his blog posting, which was published on June 13, 2008, where he admitted that he handed over RM1.4 billion – in cash and assets – to the then newly minted Umno president, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2003.
That was the value of Umno's cash and assets back then. Fast forward 12 years to the present day, taking into consideration inflation over the years and the greater challenges to fund Umno and BN state liaison committees in states which they lost since 2008, I won't be surprised if the Umno leadership has to be more proactive to solicit more funding from its supporters and donors.
All said and done, there is now a louder demand to regulate political donations and the opposition especially DAP can't ignore it anymore. But until such monumental leap of faith becomes a reality within the opposition's coalition, one should never be deluded enough to hold the higher ground against another. - Malaysiakini, 31/7/2015
If you have special preference for a political party and believe in their struggle, you can help them achieve their goals by donating your money and/or assets. Truth be told, you can donate any amount you like: RM10, RM1,000 or even a million – or a billion ringgit for that matter – if you have that kind of amount to spare.
Looking back, I used to be a member of the MACC's Special Committee on Corruption for a span of 5 years (2008-2013). I know for a fact that those fine men and women of the MACC have been trying to get political parties to agree to a more transparent procedure when it comes to political donations. MACC has said that they aspire to have all donations officially declared in the name of transparency and accountability.
When the MACC came up with the notion of political funding reforms, the first head of a political party who supported the idea, would probably surprise you. It was none other than Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak, the Umno president who publicly declared his support to the MACC's proposal and wanted it to be implemented and co-opted under the Government Transformation Programme's initiative.
One of the first parties to object to the funding reform was DAP. The reason given by DAP was largely self-serving – and what a huge disappointment that had been. DAP's leaders said they feared that the reform would put DAP at a disadvantage.
On Dec 1 2010, in a meeting with Transparency International – Malaysia (TI-M) with Pakatan Rakyat’s members of parliament, (PKR’s) Tian Chua was reported in the minutes of the meeting to have said, “He feared that full disclosure would hurt their contributors and consequently the financing for the opposition, the fear is that the donors might be prosecuted by the winning coalition for supporting the losing coalition in any general election. This would result in a substantial decline of income source for the losing coalition”. DAP’s Rasah MP Anthony Loke said essentially the same in a Bar Council Forum about political funding on Sept 29, 2011.
Funding from foreign sources
Going along the same argument, why couldn’t Pakatan Rakyat reveal since 2008 the donations they have received from businessmen and individuals in the two richest states they governed – Penang and Selangor – in Malaysia? Clearly the fear of backlash as cited by Tian Chua and Anthony Loke was just a lame excuse and not done in the best interest of transparency.
Everyone knows that the opposition parties are quite savvy in raising funds for their operations. It is also an open secret that they receive political funding from interested businesses and individuals, not to mention from the traditional but effective fund-raising dinners held almost weekly (if not nightly). While no one will be surprised if the funding comes from domestic sources, many people have been speculating that opposition parties also receive funding from foreign sources, too. Some seem to be disguised as NGO funding for the advancement of democratic ideals. Or so it would seem.
Coming back to matters at hand and with that strong objection from DAP, the political funding reform initiative was effectively shelved – it became a non-starter. It never took off. It stalled. Until now many people couldn't believe why DAP – a political party that prides itself as reformist party – didn't accede to the idea. It seems to many people political contribution for DAP is very crucial. Thus any disruption to the free flow of political funding would be disastrous to DAP's grand plan of Malaysian Malaysia.
Otherwise, an unequivocal rejection by DAP of a sure slam-dunk reform initiative like this seemed very odd indeed. No thanks to DAP, Malaysia has lost a great opportunity to address the growing concerns of secrecy regarding political funding in this country.
So, I find it rather perplexing that lately the likes of Tony Pua and Lim Kit Siang have been hypocrite enough in demanding Dato' Sri Najib to reveal the sources of political funding for Umno, when they have maliciously rejected the political funding reform initiative in the first place.
I recall in minute detail a debate I had in parliament after the 12th general election. I asked DAP MPs how did DAP get so much money to build their new spanking multi million state headquarters in Penang within a mere two years of Lim Guan Eng becoming the chief minister. After alI, I said it took Gerakan a long 12 years to build its state headquarters which happens to be just an ordinary premise. And I reminded DAP not to forget its socialist roots, which includes loathing anything that smacks of grandeur.
As if on cue, several DAP MPs rose to their feet and started hackling me in the middle of my speech. One of them, Ngeh Koo Ham, DAP's MP for Bruas, shouted across the divide, that DAP had plenty of supporters who were willing to donate their money for DAP’s cause.
On another occasion, during the Permatang Pauh election in 2008 (when Anwar Ibrahim stood as parliamentary candidate), for the first time in the whole of my political career, BN was out-spent in terms of logistics and election machinery e.g. posters, banners and campaign activities. Every time we planted one BN flag, within two hours it would be drowned by hundreds of opposition flags. Whenever we put up sizeable banners, the opposition would outdo us with twice the magnitude within half a day.
It is clear that without huge political donation, there is no way for the opposition parties to run their massive election machinery.
Holding the higher ground
Based on this ethos of political funding, Umno too, is familiar to such pursuit. It is my hope that Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) does remember his blog posting, which was published on June 13, 2008, where he admitted that he handed over RM1.4 billion – in cash and assets – to the then newly minted Umno president, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2003.
That was the value of Umno's cash and assets back then. Fast forward 12 years to the present day, taking into consideration inflation over the years and the greater challenges to fund Umno and BN state liaison committees in states which they lost since 2008, I won't be surprised if the Umno leadership has to be more proactive to solicit more funding from its supporters and donors.
All said and done, there is now a louder demand to regulate political donations and the opposition especially DAP can't ignore it anymore. But until such monumental leap of faith becomes a reality within the opposition's coalition, one should never be deluded enough to hold the higher ground against another. - Malaysiakini, 31/7/2015
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