Using RM2.6b for polls violates election rules, says Dr M

(Malay Mail Online) – Using RM2.6 billion in a single election would breach existing rules governing limits on poll spending, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Saying that he did not spend much for polls during his time as Umno president, Dr Mahathir added that this never prevented Barisan Nasional from securing two-thirds of the federal seats up for contest in the five general elections in which he led the coalition.

“If Umno needs RM2.5 billion for elections, it violates the election laws and regulations,” he said when explaining that every candidate must declare his expenditure to the election regulators.

“It is wrong if a certain amount is exceeded. I apologise if this rule has been discontinued. It existed to prevent corruption from taking place,” Dr Mahathir wrote on his blog today.

Under Section 19 of the Elections Offences Act, 1954 candidates are permitted to spend no more than RM200,000 when contesting a federal seat and RM100,000 for state constituencies.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been accused of receiving US$700 million in his personal accounts.

The allegation first arose in a Wall Street Journal article that claimed the amount was channelled from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) into Najib’s bank accounts.

But in a subsequent allegation, former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin claimed that he was informed by Najib that the RM2.6 billion came from “somewhere in the Middle East.”

Since then, Umno minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan has sought to explain that the party’s constitution allows its president to maintain a personal account on behalf of Umno, and that previous presidents also did so.

Najib has denied receiving funds for “personal gain”, and labelled the allegations as political sabotage.

The Umno president also said last week that he will push for a motion in Parliament to ensure transparency in political funding.