KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 18): Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) election director Datuk Seri Sanusi Md Nor’s recent claim that RM1 million is needed to win a parliamentary seat has prompted the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections, or Bersih, to call for better laws and rules on election spending and political financing.
Sanusi made the remark at the 71st PAS Muktamar, highlighting campaign costs that far exceed the legal spending limits — currently set at RM200,000 for a parliamentary seat and RM100,000 for a state seat under the Election Offences Act 1954.
Bersih in a statement on Thursday said Sanusi’s statement highlights the likelihood that political parties may be overspending beyond legal thresholds — a situation made possible by loopholes and weaknesses in the existing legal framework.
“If true, this casts serious doubt on the credibility of lawmakers who are not upholding the very laws they helped to create,” the group said in a statement. “It also exposes how outdated and ineffective our current regulations are in curbing excessive or opaque campaign spending.”
Beyond the issue of spending, Bersih raised concerns about the source of political funding — an area that remains largely unregulated. The group emphasised that transparency is needed not only in how parties spend money, but also in how they obtain it, especially during the campaign period.
In light of this, Bersih is renewing its call for the government to implement two key reforms:
- Amend the Election Offences Act 1954 — Bersih argues that this law must be updated to reflect modern campaign realities, including rising operational costs. Section 19 on election spending limits needs to be reviewed to reflect current costs such as the price of goods, office rental, transportation and so on. In addition, Sections 23 and 24 should also be amended to make it mandatory for candidates and political parties to have their election expenses audited.
- Enact a Political Financing Act — Bersih is also pushing for a comprehensive law to regulate political donations. This includes setting contribution limits (eg RM50,000 from individuals and RM100,000 from corporations, as proposed by the Cross-Party Parliamentary Group on Political Funding), enforcing disclosure of donors, and establishing an independent oversight body to monitor and enforce compliance.
“The open disclosure by Datuk Seri Sanusi Md Nor should serve as a wake-up call to all parties that political parties require and rely on large amounts of funding,” Bersih said. “The current laws are too weak to effectively regulate the sources and spending of election funds by political parties and candidates.”