A PKR assemblyperson has proposed that the Penang government set aside a fund of RM8 million for the coming 13th general election.

aca interview sim lingam tape 021007 sim tze tsim Sim Tze Tsin (PKR-Pantai Jerejak) ( left ) said Penang should pursue campaign finance reform as it was the epicentre of the 2008 political tsunami.

He added that the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government should use its two-thirds majority to initiate the fund, and name if the ‘Election Trust Fund’.

“This money will go to election candidates - from BN and Pakatan - to finance their campaigns; they should be prohibited from receiving contributions that may be from dubious sources,” he said while debating the address of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Abdul Rahman Abbas.

“With this, we can compete in a just manner and we can ensure a free and fair elections,” he added.

Sim, who is Bayan Baru PKR division chief, proposed that the state set aside RM100,000 for each constituency or RM8 million for two opposing candidates per seat.

He added that this was “indeed a very low cost to run a free and fair election”.

“Political parties mostly receive contributions from members and supporters; I do not know where Umno/BN get their money from because they are rich and have many resources,” he said.

“Recently, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency has expressed its intention to monitor sources of political contribution as they could come from a corrupt source,” he added.

“But a BN minister - Hishammuddin Hussein - was quick to respond, saying he did not agree to that as it may put off contributors,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sim said Pakatan had initiated several reforms to democratise Penang which included passing a resolution to run local elections, tabling a draft Freedom of Information Act and providing a Speakers Corner for free speech.

However, the state government should not stop at these and use the advantage of its two-thirds majority to democratise Penang further, he added.