According to chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on political financing, Wong Chen, some of the MPs have seen the political financing law, drafted by the previous government.

He said political financing by the government, or state funding, was not included in the bill.

The Subang MP said state funding is an essential element for democratic practice and is in use in democracies worldwide.

Malaysia currently has no laws governing political donations and Wong Chen urged the government to quickly bring the bill to Parliament.

On Monday, law and institutional reforms minister Azalina Othman Said promised in a written response in the Dewan Rakyat that the government will conduct further consultations before tabling a bill on this.

Azalina said the bill will be referred to the appropriate parliamentary select committee to ensure that all significant factors were taken into consideration.

APPGM member Khoo Poay Tiong also urged the government to ensure any political financing law is enforced before the next general election.

The Kota Melaka MP asked the government to provide a timeline for the tabling of the law because he believed it will be complicated and will take time to be made into law.

“We hope this law can be passed in this term,” Khoo said.