BY: LIZAWATI MADFA
SHAH ALAM, MAY 4: Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) demands the campaigns for the 14th General Election (GE14) to be conducted freely and fairly ahead of June 2018.
Its President, Datuk Akhbar Satar said there should be zero tolerance for money politics, political patronage, favoritism, nepotism and conflicts of interest in awarding concessions, contracts or government projects.
He said, the issue of political financing need to be addressed as recommended by the National Consultative Committee on the issue last September.
“There are serious concerns on relating to the funding enforcement campaign as politicians need a big amount of money to mobilise their campaigns.
“Our question is where do this money come from and how much is actually spent by each candidate.
“A set of laws to regulate political financing would positively impact Malaysia, consequently improving the country's image in terms of transparency, integrity and accountability," he said in a statement.
Based on the Election’s Offenses Act 1954, a campaign spending limit for each candidate is RM200,000 for Parliamentary seat and RM100,000 for State Assembly seat.
Akhbar said, he also urges for fair media access for all competing candidates and professional debates on political manifesto.
“We also need to address the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for Malaysia which has dropped from 54 in 2015 to 55 in 2016.
“Politicians must show that they are committed in observing the principles of truth, integrity, accountability and ethical practices throughout election period and after being given mandate.
“GE14 must not only be fair and clean but it must also be seen as fair and clean,” he said.
