The political financing bill: what’s taking so long?

The political financing bill, a serious matter with long-lasting implications, has been dragging on for three years. Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said's recent statement on the bill is perplexing and seems to lack urgency. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim discussed the three "Cs" - communism, communalism, and corruption - during his time in power, with corruption being identified as a major problem.

The notion of a political financing bill has been around since 2016, but opposition parties were initially not in favor of it. Now that the opposition is in government, they are dragging their feet on the matter. The government has conducted 18 engagement sessions since May 2023 and agreed in principle to draft the bill in September 2023.

However, it has been three years and no action has been taken. Public support for the bill is high, but political will seems to be lacking. The legal affairs division of the prime minister's department has received high degrees of support, but the process of seeking written views on the bill is seen as an eccentricity. The government has not set a time bar for the bill to be submitted by the next election, despite questions about its progress.

The writer argues that self-interests and a lack of initial gusto in fighting corruption have led to this delay.