PETALING JAYA - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has said that offering of a travel allowance to entice voters to return to their hometowns to vote is considered a bribe in the eyes of the law.
Deputy chief commissioner (operations) Azam Baki said offering voters any form of inducement, be it cash or gifts, is deemed a bribe.
“For example, if a voter is offered an allowance to go back and vote, or paid RM50, so that he or she votes for a particular candidate,” The Star reported Azam as saying in an interview with Sin Chew Daily.
“However, if politicians were to offer genuine aid, such as rice or a donation to poor folk, this would not constitute a bribe,” said Azam, adding that election pledges were also not considered bribery.
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.