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Salleh: Allowing foreigners to fund political activities totally unacceptable
Published:  Nov 26, 2016 12:29 PM
Updated: 7:12 AM

Allowing foreign organisations to fund "political" activities of Malaysian non-government organisations (NGOs) is totally unacceptable, said Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak.

According to Bernama, he said this was tantamount to giving foreign countries the freedom to pursue their hidden agendas in Malaysia which is a sovereign nation.

Allowing such acts would be even more sinister and dangerous when it involved funds from billionaire George Soros whose agenda was to interfere in a nation's political affairs, he said.

"We don't want foreign organisations to use local NGOs as a platform to advance their political agenda, that is to topple a democratically elected governments through rallies or demonstrations," he said.

Salleh told this to Bernama when met at the end of the 16th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan today.

He said with the participation or involvement of several opposition leaders in the recent Bersih 5 rally in Kuala Lumpur, it was clear that the movement, which purportedly champions electoral reform, had a political agenda.

'What of Najib's funds?'

Meanwhile, DAP's Gelang Patah MP asked why Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah was being targetted for allegedly receiving foreign funds, when Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had also admitted to receiving funds from the Middle East.

"Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar cannot stop Malaysians from asking [...] why Maria Chin is held under Sosma for Bersih receiving puny funds from the Open Society Foundation (OSF), while Najib Razak can go scot-free for receiving astronomical RM4.2 billion from foreigners?" he asked.

"Maria Chin and Bersih had always advocated peaceful, non-violent and democratic process to bring about public awareness and public pressures for change, yet she could be treated like a terrorist to be placed under Sosma allowing for up to 28 days of detention without trial," said Lim in a statement.

He said her detention had no basis, and urged the 60-year-old's unconditional release.

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