Minister, MACC at odds over 'voting fare'
Published on: Sunday, September 03, 2017
Kuala Lumpur: A difference of opinion has surfaced on whether travel allowances offered to voters during an election amounts to bribery with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Datuk Paul Low saying it is not and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) insisting otherwise.Low argued that the issue of bribery does not arise unless there is evidence to show that the giver specifically instructs the voter to vote in favour of a political party or candidate."I don't think voters are influenced (just by receiving travel allowance," he said during the Regional Conference on Democracy in Southeast Asia, here, Saturday.
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Deputy Chief Commissioner Datuk Azam Baki, earlier said that offering travel allowance to entice voters to return to their hometowns to vote was considered a bribe.He had said this could be in the form of cash or gifts, and political parties or candidates caught committing it could risk disqualification from contesting in the elections.However, he added that politicians will not be committing bribery if they offered aid such as rice and donations to the poor."Does that influence someone to vote for a particular party? It doesn't. He or she is not obliged to vote for those who gave them the allowance, "said Low, who oversees transparency and corruption issues in the government.
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"If enticement to vote is not proven, it cannot amount to bribery," said Low.MACC's Azam had said that offering voters any form of inducement, be it cash or gifts, is bribery.
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"For example, if a voter was offered an allowance to go back and vote, or pay RM50 so that he or she votes for a particular candidate".He said political parties would usually make all kinds of promises, such as building more houses, during the campaign period.Azam said it was a normal practice in most countries for election candidates to make campaign promises to gain support, citing the US presidential election as an example.In anticipation of the 14th general election, the anti-graft agency reminded all political parties and candidates that anyone caught giving bribes would be disqualified."A law enforcement team consisting of MACC officials and police will be set up to monitor graft activities as soon as the Election Commission announces the date of the general election," Azam said.He said if the team received any report from the public, such cases would be investigated under the Election Commission Act, Anti-Corruption Act, and Penal Code.He added that the commission would not seek to amend the law to make it mandatory for all candidates to declare their assets, and it would be up to the parties whether they wanted their candidates to declare their assets."However, political parties usually submit their candidate list to the MACC and police for vetting," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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