This is especially so as the National Consultative Committee on Political Financing (JKNMPP), formed late last year, is hard at work to ensure more transparent, clean and accountable elections.
Speaking to FMT, political analyst and Ideas’ Chief Executive Officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan said Prime Minister Najib Razak and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng both had the right to call for a snap election.
However Wan Saiful, who is also a member of the JKNMPP, believes that ideally, some of the committee’s proposals should be implemented before any election takes place.
“If all political leaders want to see good practices in elections, by right they don’t need to wait for the committee to finish its work. They can just behave properly.
“But the work of the committee is important. I think if an opportunity is given for the changes to be introduced first, then the public would have a bit more trust in the credibility of elections.
“So, of course, in terms of public perception and in terms of the credibility of the election itself, waiting for the new regulations to be introduced would be much better.”
Another member of the committee, former Election Commission chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman told FMT that a snap general election would help the Barisan Nasional government gauge if it still has the people’s mandate to govern.
However, with much yet to be done to ensure a better electoral system, any election would benefit only the ruling coalition, he added.
“Changes need to be made to some matters related to the present election processes. Without the changes, a clean election is still possible, but it would not be a fair one.
“This is so as any absence of a regulation would be an advantage only to those in power.”
The issue of political funding, especially from foreign interests, has been a much-discussed matter since revelations that Prime Minister Najib Razak had allegedly received RM2.6 billion in donations from Saudi interests.
Part of the donation was reportedly used to help BN in the last general election.