Political financing law, amendments needed to forestall fickle MPs - C4

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) is alarmed over the switch of support by four rogue Bersatu MPs, saying that it proves the need for a political financing act and amendments to close loopholes that allow parliamentarians to bypass anti-hopping measures.

According to C4, the latest developments demonstrated the persistence of money politics within Malaysia’s electoral democracy and the failings of existing anti-party hopping provisions.

"The guarantee for receiving federal funding for their constituencies as the primary reason for shifting coalitions brings to the forefront the issue of money being used as a political tool.

"Currently, the federal government has complete autonomy to make arbitrary choices over which constituencies receive funding or not at all,” the anti-corruption watchdog said in a statement today.

"As a result, the coalition leaders of successive ruling governments will be able to solidify their position on the promises of constituency funding alone.

“This could result in MPs preemptively forming political alliances with the ruling coalition post-election, (in hopes) that they will receive federal funding for their constituency," it added.

The group called for three immediate remedial steps to be taken.

First of all, the group suggested that the government table a Political Funding Act that would guarantee funding to all constituencies, both aligned with the ruling coalition as well as the opposition - the amount of which shall be decided based on sensible metrics such as population size and the need for basic infrastructure.

It also suggested that an Asset Declaration framework be put in place to ensure that political funding is not abused for personal gain and would be put to use for the development of the constituency and its inhabitants.

"(Thirdly), Article 49A of the Federal Constitution requires refining to cover a wider scope of situations whereby politicians can simply be bought over by promises or anticipations of funding or appointments to positions of power," C4 said.

In recent days, four Bersatu MPs, namely Suhaili Abdul Rahman (Labuan), Iskandar Dzulkarnain Abdul Khalid (Kuala Kangsar), Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Gua Musang), and Zahari Kechik (Jeli) have declared their support for the government of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The reason cited for the switching of party loyalties was the guarantee of receiving federal funds for the welfare of their constituencies.

Suhaili has since been suspended by the party for six years, while Iskandar received a four-year suspension and the two others have been referred to Bersatu's disciplinary committee.

‘Increasingly meaningless process’

C4 said a Political Funding Act that mandates the allocation of funds to all constituencies will make redundant the need to shift loyalties in order to obtain funds.

It added that the defection of the Bersatu MPs also revealed the ineffectiveness of the anti-hopping provisions under Article 49A of the Federal Constitution.

Despite the defections, C4 acknowledges that the MPs are not caught under the anti-hopping provisions as the law only compels the vacating of a seat by an MP in the case of their resignation from the party.

"All four members who have declared this switch have maintained that they remain Bersatu members, and although they will face disciplinary action, their expulsion from the party would still allow them to maintain their seats.

"This odd feature essentially opens the loophole for new and volatile political alliances to be forged at any given moment - which is especially dangerous given the high degree of infiltration of money politics within our political systems," the group added.

C4 also defined the switching of party loyalties as a usurpation of democratic principles.

"While it is true that these candidates were voted in by their constituents, they were also likely voted in based on their party or coalition affiliation.

"If politicians are allowed to change allegiances and parties at the drop of the hat, it renders the electoral system defunct.

"It is reminiscent of the infamous ‘Sheraton Move’ of early 2020, and continues the precedent that the people’s mandate to decide representation in Parliament has become an increasingly meaningless process," warned the group.

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