While it is good that Umno has been able to take drastic measures against top officials who practised money politics, it appears that the present system of using a disciplinary board has various disadvantages.

First of all, Umno is the number one political party in Malaysia and its top leaders get to become the prime minister and the deputy PM among others. Getting elected to top positions is the basic criteria to gain control of the country's vast resources.

With the various privatisation exercises currently being mooted, politicians today realise that there is money to be made in Putrajaya and thus many are motivated not by self-sacrifice and service to the nation but by how much they can make when in the top positions.

Thus we have people becoming politicians in order to make money. Many are too smart to be directly involved but in-laws or cousins can front for them for companies that can get projects directly from the government under NEP-type programmes.

Considering these factors, the laws on political parties should be amended so that a breach of the party's law is automatically also a criminal offence and not just a case for the party's discipline board. There should also be no time frame for reports to be received.

In this regard, the recommendations of the Royal Police Commission should be implemented first to ensure that justice is served. Meanwhile it would be reassuring if Umno makes known the various measures it will implement to reduce money politics in the party.