Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azalina Othman Said has opined for the need for laws to allow greater scrutiny of funding for NGOs.

"There is a need to redefine the Societies Act 1966 by inserting the reporting procedure on donations received to ensure sound governance, accountability and transparency, which indirectly leads to better social and community development in Malaysia.

"The same law should also provide room to regulate the registration of a coalition of NGOs such as Bersih to prevent any possible misuse," Azalina said in a statement today.

Azalina said this in response to allegations that several organisations had received funding from international grant making group Open Society Foundations (OSF), which is run by billionaire George Soros.

Last week, a website known as dcleaks.com had published documents purportedly retrieved from the OSF. One document was purportedly the minutes of a meeting by OSF's Malaysia programme.

According to the document, the OSF have provided grants to several organisations that are promoting free and fair elections. The document also stated that Soros had a "personal interest" in Malaysian elections.

Azalina said OSF's involvement in Malaysia was "worrying", but stressed that "it may not be legally wrong" to receive grants or funds from foreign donors.

"There are no restrictions or special rules regarding foreign funding. At present moment, the only obligation is to report suspicious transactions to the relevant authority," said the minister.

Presently, the Bar Council, Bersih, Merdeka Centre and Malaysiakini - who are accused of receiving funding from OSF - are being probed under Section 124c of the Penal for engaging in activities detrimental to Parliamentary democracy.

On the Bar Council, Azalina, who was formerly a lawyer, opined that the Legal Profession Act 1976 be amended to regulate grants, gifts, properties or money received by the council.

"This is to ensure that the Bar Council achieves its ultimate purpose to uphold justice without any personal interest involved and interference from external parties." 

Meanwhile, National Security Minister Shahidan Kassim said that even if it was not illegal to receive funds from groups linked to Soros, it was unethical to do so.

"There are foreigners who want to destroy our country. Even if it is not wrong (to receive funds) in legal terms, it is wrong in ethical terms," he said.