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[Abstract: This article discusses the issue of money politics in Malaysia over the past two decades. Firstly, it looks at the concept of money politics in Malaysia and how it is being perpetuated. Secondly, it discusses the relevant laws in Malaysia that could contain money politics. Lastly, the article concludes that Malaysia has the relevant laws to control money politics, but they have not been enforced properly. Therefore, money politics has been allowed to persist rampantly in Malaysia.]
Money politics in the West has been generally taken to mean receiving illicit funds for political campaigns. It had been a major issue in US with the Clinton administration taken on trial for receiving campaign funds from overseas. In Malaysia, it had been frequently mentioned during the elections with the different political parties accusing each other of engaging in money politics. However, in Malaysia, money politics also includes using money, gifts, and contracts to "buy" supporters or voters, usually during elections.
Money politics is a form of corruption or bribery as the politicians are receiving illicit campaign funds from individuals, businessmen or rich people who wanted something in return - especially government business contracts and joint business ventures. The giving out of money, gifts, and contracts to buy supporters is also a form of corruption or bribery. Corruption had been defined by Nye (1967: 419) as, "...behaviour which deviates from the formal duties of a public role because of private-regarding (personal, close family, private clique) pecuniary or status gains; or violates rules against the exercise of certain types of private-regarding influence." Alatas defined corruption as the subordination of public interests to private aims involving a violation of the norms of duty and Welfare, accompanied by secrecy, betrayal, deception and a callous disregard for any consequences suffered by the public (Alatas, 1980: 12).
The money politics in Malaysia may be different from the West as Malaysian politicians, on their own or on behalf of their political parties, are allowed to hold business posts (see Gomez, 1994). This practice was encouraged after the racial riot of 13 May 1969 where it became clear that there was deep racial discontent over the inequality in the distribution of income and wealth among the different races in Malaysia - the Malays,...