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Should DAP funders be victimised, Pua asks financing reform advocate
Published:  Sep 24, 2016 8:52 AM
Updated: 4:12 AM

DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has criticised political economics professor Edmund Terence Gomez for suggesting that he was opposed to political financing reform.

Pua noted that Gomez on Thursday told the International Malaysia Law Conference on that some opposition politicians claimed the 1MDB was the "biggest financial scandal" while at the same time opposed the reform to improve transparency.

"Basically he insinuated that I was a hypocrite who can criticise 1MDB and BN's lack of transparency but was not willing to be transparent myself especially since I or the DAP is receiving seemingly dodgy funds from businesses," he said in a Facebook posting last night.

Pua said his stance on political financing reform remains the same - that it cannot be abused by the ruling coalition to victimise DAP's funders when they are made public.

"Very simply, we fully support the proposals to improve transparency.

"However, for these proposals to be effective and not abused by the government of the day, there must be a level-playing field.

"Gomez himself has admitted and conceded during the conference that 'their funders would be victimised and conceded it was true'," said Pua, who is also Selangor DAP chief.

Pua said this was explicitly conveyed to Gomez in several meetings.

"Hence where is Gomez's intellectual honesty when he accused me of saying 'no' to the proposals and even had the cheek to insinuate my purported hypocrisy despite crusading against BN scandals such as 1MDB?" said Pua.

He said the Political Financing Act will fail to achieve its objectives if it is abused by BN, like it does with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Act and the police, to intimidate opposition supporters.

"Is Gomez saying that his proposals must be implemented and will promote transparency even if it allows BN to victimise their opponents in an unlevel playing field?" asked Pua.

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