Salleh: Allowing foreign bodies to fund politics unacceptable

Minister likens foreign funding to giving these countries freedom to pursue their hidden agendas in a sovereign nation like Malaysia

(Bernama) – Allowing foreign organisations to fund “political” activities of Malaysian NGOs is totally unacceptable, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak.

He said this was tantamount to giving foreign countries the freedom to pursue their hidden agendas in Malaysia, which is a sovereign nation.

Allowing such acts would be even more sinister and dangerous when it involved funds from billionaire George Soros, whose agenda was to interfere in a nation’s political affairs, he said.

“We don’t want foreign organisations to use local NGOs as a platform to advance their political agenda — that is to topple a democratically-elected government through rallies or demonstrations.”

Salleh was speaking to Bernama at the end of the 16th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin) here today.

He said with the participation or involvement of several opposition leaders in the recent Bersih 5 rally in Kuala Lumpur, it was clear that the movement, which purportedly champions electoral reforms, had a political agenda.