Kuala Lumpur, 22 April 2022: The formation of an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Political Financing has been approved by the Secretary of the Dewan Rakyat on 20 April 2022. Nine Members of Parliament (MPs) from nine different parties and one Senator have agreed to be members of this APPG. The APPG also consists of members from six civil society organisations (CSOs) and two expert individuals, the list of which is below. IDEAS serves as the Secretariat for the APPG, which will also provide the intellectual and administrative support for the group.

We are proud and excited to have established this APPG on Political Financing, which is unprecedented in Malaysian history. The main purpose of this APPG is to establish a platform where lawmakers and CSOs can discuss and deliberate on the issue of political financing as equal partners, with the aim of eventually passing into law a Political Financing Act. 

With the formation of this APPG, we also hope to reignite the conversation on political financing amongst MPs and Senators on both sides of the divide. This cross-partisan approach is crucial when advocating for a cause as important as transparency in political financing. It is our collective hope that this APPG will hasten the speed of political financing reforms in Malaysia, as there has been little to no movement on this front over the last two years. We believe that political financing reform is a fundamental pillar in transforming Malaysian politics. It is a key step in the fight against corruption and preventing the misuse of public funds. Furthermore, transparency is also needed to remove private sector influence over politics. 

The attempt to introduce legislation on political financing is not new. Efforts began in 2008, led then by Transparency International-Malaysia.  In 2015, another effort was made by G25 together with about 70 CSOs.  To our knowledge, the latest attempt was by the Pakatan Harapan government, where a Bill was drafted but was not tabled. This Bill was drafted in response to pressure from CSOs.  

We would like to take this opportunity to call the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Dato’ Sri Dr. Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar for a status update of the draft Political Financing Bill and for the draft in its current form to be shared with the APPG on Political Financing. It is important for us to know and understand what was previously discussed in 2018 so we can provide feedback and propose new recommendations if necessary. We specifically look forward to engaging with the Law Minister and the Governance, Integrity, and Anti-Corruption Center (GIACC) in working towards a commonly agreed upon Political Financing Law to improve political party accountability in the country. 

We would like to remind the government that tabling a Political Financing Act remains a priority according to the Mid-Term Review of the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), which states December 2022 as the milestone “to undertake a study on enacting new legislation on political funding contributions.” Furthermore, the public deserves to know the government’s commitment to improving transparency and accountability in our political system. This is especially important as the country heads towards its 15th General Election. 

As the most newly formed APPG, we would like to welcome the support, suggestions and contributions from lawmakers, government agencies, CSOs and members of the public. We take the efforts to reform political financing seriously, and hereby commit to working together to achieve our common goal. We will also keep the public updated on our activities from time to time.

Jointly Signed by all members of the APPG as follows: 

Members of Parliament

1.   YB Tuan Ahmad Fadhli bin Saari (PAS – Pasir Mas)

•  Chairman

2.   YB Tuan Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil (PKR – Lembah Pantai)

• Deputy Chairman

3.   YB Puan Wong Shu Qi (DAP – Kluang)

• Secretary

4.   YB Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau (UPKO – Tuaran)

• Treasurer

5.   YB Dato’ Sri Saifuddin bin Abdullah (PPBM – Indera Mahkota)

6.   YB Dato’ Seri Utama Mukhriz bin Tun Dr. Mahathir (Pejuang – Jerlun)

7.   YB Datuk Seri Haji Ahmad bin Haji Maslan (UMNO – Pontian)

8.   YB Tuan Syed Saddiq bin Syed Abdul Rahman (MUDA – Muar)

9.   YB Tuan Larry Soon@Larry Sng Wei Shien (Parti Bangsa Malaysia – Julau)

Senator

 YB Puan Fadhlina binti Dato’ Sidek of Pulau Pinang (PKR) 

CSO Members

1. IDEAS (Secretariat)
2. Agora Society
3. Bait Al-Amanah
4. Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4)
5. Engage Network
6. G25 Malaysia
7. Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH)
8. Rasuah Busters
9. Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M)
10. Puan Maha Balakrishnan (Expert)
11. Prof. Wong Chin Huat (Expert)

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Letter from SUDR

For enquiries, please contact:
Zokhri Idris, Ph.D, Director, External Relations
T: +603 2070 8881/8882 | E: zokhri@ideas.org.my