Kuala lumpur: The Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister's Department (BHEUU) has been instructed to obtain the official positions of registered political parties regarding the proposed Political Funding Bill before its presentation to the Cabinet. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said emphasized the need for formal written responses from the approximately 72 registered political parties. This initiative aims to discern which parties support or oppose the proposal, along with their reasons and suggestions for improvement.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Azalina underscored the importance of receiving formal party statements rather than personal opinions from politicians, which may not reflect the official party stance. During the 2026 Political Funding Convention at the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), she stressed the need for parties to clearly articulate in writing their positions on the proposed Bill.
Azalina revealed that BHEUU has conducted 18 engagement sessions, including 12 at the state level, involving 1,544 participants from various sectors, including political parties, government agencies, academia, civil society organisations, the business sector, and youth groups. The minister mentioned that nine policy parameters are being refined based on these consultations, covering aspects such as the scope of application, regulatory body, sources and limits of contributions, prohibition of foreign donations, traceable channels for receiving funds, reporting, auditing, disclosure, offences, and penalties.
Addressing concerns over the delay in drafting the Bill, Azalina clarified that the delay is not politically motivated but rather due to necessary legal processes and procedures which require thorough examination. She stressed that the reform process should not be expedited merely to align with current public perceptions, nor should procedural constraints serve as an excuse to delay the reform agenda.
In her keynote address, Azalina highlighted that political funding is intrinsically linked to democratic integrity, political accountability, and public confidence in the government system. She warned that without a clear legal framework, political funding could lead to conflicts of interest, abuse of power, political corruption, and undue influence over decision-making.
The MADANI Government remains committed to implementing this reform, with BHEUU taking over the study on drafting the Political Funding Bill in May 2023. The Cabinet subsequently agreed in principle to the proposal on September 8, 2023. Azalina, speaking from her legal expertise, noted that the absence of legislation governing political funding could expose individuals in the political arena to corruption allegations when accepting political donations. She stressed that without clear definitions and records, such as receipts or notifications of the amount and details of assistance, problems are likely to arise, leading to potential perceptions of corruption in the country.