Its information chief, Hilmie Milus, said Sabah has long struggled with money politics and patronage, eroding good governance and public trust in political parties.
“In reality, political power is often held by those with large financial resources and cronies, turning the political arena into an exclusive space for wealthy elites, not credible individuals with proven leadership.
“This culture has opened the floodgates to corruption, vote buying and project handouts as political rewards,” he said in a statement.
Hilmie also said the absence of clear and enforceable rules on political financing created a playing field that disadvantages youths, women, civil society activists and ordinary citizens who have leadership potential but lack financial means.
He said the implementation of a political financing law would compel all parties and candidates to publicly disclose their funding sources in a transparent and accountable manner.
“In Sabah, this is urgently needed because far too often, development funds and state allocations are perceived to be misused to finance specific political agendas.
“Transparency in compliance with this act will strengthen the integrity of the democratic system and increase public trust in the electoral process.”
Hilmie, a member of the central PKR Youth’s leadership, reminded the unity government that introducing a political financing law was part of Pakatan Harapan’s pledge for the 2018 general election.
Several Gabungan Rakyat Sabah leaders had urged Putrajaya to expedite the tabling of the long-awaited political financing bill following the alleged mining scandal in the state.
They said the alleged scandal in Sabah exemplified the need for such a legislation to close any loopholes that businesses could exploit in hopes of seeking favours from politicians.
However, in March, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said it would be hard for the political financing bill to be passed before the next general election. She had said that the government still required feedback, especially from members of civil society.