PRESS STATEMENT
NATIONAL CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
ON POLITICAL FINANCING
STATUS AS AT 24th May 2016
The Jawatankuasa Konsultatif Nasional Mengenai Pembiayaan Politik (JKNMPP / the Committee), which was established in August 2015 and chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan has been moving in the right direction to complete the recommendations on Malaysia’s political financing system within this year. Since its inception, the committee has been meeting on a monthly basis; the latest was on 23.5.2016.
As part of the studies undertaken by its secretariat at the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (INTEGRITI), the committee has met relevant stakeholders through out Malaysia in order to obtain inputs on issues, challenges and possible solutions to matters relating to political financing.
The secretariat has also conducted field studies on the ground during State Elections and the findings will provide practical insights on how political financing is practised on the ground, and the analysis will support proposals for any changes that may be required.
The International Conference on Political Integrity: Reinforcing Transparency in Political Financing in Malaysia organized by INTEGRITI, which is the Centre for Reference and Consultation for the JKNMPP, is part of the benchmarking process, whereby political management experts from Mexico, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan were invited to share their countries’ experience in managing their own respective political financing systems that Malaysia could learn from.
Stakeholders’ engagements will continue to be conducted in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Sarawak and Penang to give opportunity to various parties to share their views and suggestions in strengthening the JKNMPP’s report.
The preliminary findings by the Committee are:
• There is a need for more regulations on political financing;
• Some laws need to be reviewed to improve financing within the political system;
• Donations for political purposes should be regulated;
• Institutional reforms are needed to enhance and strengthen the regulatory bodies that govern our political system.
The Committee is confident to complete its task by end August 2016.
YB Senator Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
National Consultative Committee on Political Financing
Kuala Lumpur
May 25th, 2016
