'Opposition lacks guts to reveal funding'

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Umno lawmaker Othman Abdul has accused the opposition of lacking courage in declaring their political funding.

According to the Pendang MP, this is the reason behind PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli calling for a boycott on discussions regarding the framework for political donations.

He said if PKR and DAP obtained their funds from sources which do not violate the law, the parties would certainly disclose them.

"For me, the opposition does not have the courage to declare the source of their funds," he was quoted as saying by Umno Online.

"This is because of the probability that a large amount of the funds came from foreign countries with an agenda to ruin the nation's administration.

"This is the reason why we see many opposition leaders dilly-dally on this issue. Since the onset, the prime minister wanted a legislation to make it compulsory for political parties to declare their sources of funding. But DAP and PKR disagreed," he added.

Othman noted the opposition had recently agreed to make the disclosure, but the Umno MP dismissed it as a gimmick.

He said Umno was more than willing to come clean on this issue since it was Najib who made the proposal during the initial stages.

"It is the opposition like DAP and PKR who are afraid and worried that when the people find out their sources of funding, it could affect their credibility and the people's trust in them," he added.

Rafizi's statement followed Najib's announcement that a political funding plan would be drawn up to ensure transparency and accountability in the interest of healthy political practices.

However, the PKR leader called for the boycott as long as the prime minister and his ministers fail to make a full and detailed declaration of their assets, revenue and expenses.

The prime minister himself is embroiled in a RM2.6 billion political donation storm.

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