Salleh said MCMC had identified the source of complaints and claims that electoral watchdog Bersih and news portal Malaysiakini had received funding from OSF, established by controversial US business magnate George Soros.
“We have identified the source and we will present our findings to the authorities to take follow-up action,” he told reporters following the soft launch of the KL International Youth Discourse 2016.
Salleh, however, cautioned that it would be up to the Attorney-General to determine if the claims, if verified, had broken any law and the appropriate action to be taken if it did.
“Malaysia’s laws are very clear on this. There will be consequences if the laws are broken,” Salleh said.
MCMC would be cooperating closely with the police on the matter, Salleh said.
This follows news that a leaked document on the minutes of a meeting discussing strategies for the upcoming general election by OSF had been uploaded by whistleblower site DC Leaks.
The meeting, titled “Malaysia Program – Portfolio Review Outcome Summary”, held in June 2015, revealed, among others, that due to the importance of the 2013 General Election, Soros had taken a personal interest in that election.
On another matter, Salleh said the government was planning to combat extremist factors through the use of “dialogue.”
“There are many ways to combat extremism. One of the ways is through a dialogue with these people. We have to understand them,” he told reporters.
“If there is a platform for them to communicate their views, at least we can understand and talk about the situation. We must tell them that being in a democratic country, it is natural to have different views.”
According to Salleh, the Ministry of Youth and Sports was tasked with consulting youth nationwide, using platforms such as the KL International Youth Discourse.
“This discourse will let many participants know that there is such a platform to (engage in) dialogue with. You may disagree with the government, and there is nothing wrong with participating in such a dialogue. It’s not going to be a one-sided dialogue. We are listening,” Salleh said.
Salleh however did not name any specific extremist party when asked, choosing instead to say that extremism was “subjective.”
The planned discourse will take place on Nov 26 at the Sunway Resort Hotel, with the Razak School of Government being the strategic partner for the event themed, “Empowering Youth for a Safer and Better Future.”