Saya tidak berminat menulis berkenaan politik kerana pengalaman saya berkawan dengan orang-orang politik ini sudah cukup untuk saya simpan sebagai panduan. Lebih-lebih lagi saya sebagai kakitangan awam tidak dibenarkan untuk menzahirkan pendapat mengenai politik. When Bernama contacted me to talk something about the recent issue in politics which is political funding and the relationship with records management, saya melihat ini sebagai satu peluang, bukan untuk bercakap mengenai politik, tetapi membawa konsep dan idea pengurusan rekod dan dokumen ke dalam parti politik. Sememangnya kita tahu, parti politik seperti juga organisasi lain, mengamalkan pengurusan rekod dan dokumen. Cuma yang kita belum tahu ialah, samada pengurusan tersebut menepati konsep pengurusan rekod yang sebenar atau tidak. Maksud pengurusan rekod dan dokumen agak panjang huraiannya, tetapi memadailah saya katakan bahawa rekod-rekod mereka ini diperlukan jika berlakunya sesuatu isu berbangkit. Apabila Perdana Menteri mengumumkan penubuhan National Consultative
Committee on Political Funding agar penyaluran dana politik lebih transparent, saya melihat ini sebagai satu keperluan terhadap pengurusan rekod yang efektif di dalam parti-parti politik.
Saya katakan pada Bernama tentang perlunya parti-parti politik ini mengambil pengurus rekod terlatih untuk menjaga rekod mereka agar rekod-rekod tersebut antaranya boleh diakses untuk membersihkan diri dari tuduhan liar pihak lawan dan juga agar rekod sensitif dapat dijaga dari bocor kepada pihak yang tidak sepatutnya. Saya juga ditanya adakah saya berkeyakinan 100% bahawa pengurus rekod tidak akan membocorkan rekod dan dokumen? Jawapan saya, jika pengurus rekod yang membocorkan rekod dan dokumen, bermakna mereka belum cukup terlatih bukan sahaja dalam bidang pengurusan rekod tetapi juga dari segi etika dan moral. Pengurusan rekod yang lengkap meliputi segala elemen seperti kerahsiaan, etika dan moral.
Di bawah merupakan berita dari Bernama.
Proper Record Management Vital For Political Funding Activities
By Mohd Hisham Abdul Rafar
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- The formation of the National Consultative
Committee on Political Funding will lead to more transparency in the
affairs of political parties and enhance the people's confidence in
them.
Today, transparency and accountability have become the global agenda and
citizens of every nation aim to have people of integrity as their
leaders.
The time has come for political parties in this country to exhibit more
transparency in the governance of their organisations, including their
financial dealings.
A senior lecturer at the Faculty of Information Management at UiTM's
Puncak Perdana campus, Dr Azman Mat Isa, suggested that a law be enacted
to ensure transparency in the management of political funds.
On Aug 14, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced the
formation of the National Consultative Committee on Political Funding to
draw up a comprehensive and inclusive action plan of integrity for
political funding.
He said the committee would come up with the action plan through reforms
and improvement of the relevant laws within a year, and implement it
before the 14th General Election.
RECORDS MUST BE AUDITED
Azman said all funds received by political parties from contributors
should be recorded clearly, including information concerning the total
amount received and the source of the contribution.
"Such funds should be deposited in accounts belonging to the party
concerned. This is highly important to ensure transparency and
trustworthiness...these qualities are all the more necessary in this age
of social media where it's often difficult to separate fact from
allegation," he told Bernama.
Should political parties have their funding records audited?
"Yes," said Azman, adding that they should be examined by qualified
auditors to ensure that the funds were procured and utilised in
accordance with party regulations and the laws of the nation.
"Surely the people won't feel comfortable if the contributors are
awarded various projects as a 'thank you' gesture. If there are strings
attached to the donations, party leaders may have to give in to the
donors' demands.
"Things can get quite touchy if the recipient also happens to helm the
administration, whether at the federal or state level. Even if the
donors expect something in return, perhaps in the form of a project,
they should be made to follow the proper procedures and should fulfil
the criteria that has been fixed (before projects are awarded to them),"
he said.
This, he pointed out, would avert misuse of power or any
misappropriation in the implementation of government projects and would
not compromise the quality of life and benefits enjoyed by the
tax-paying public.
As such, the systematic management of records would enable the auditing team to perform their work more efficiently.
"As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Any organisation's
dealings become more transparent if its records are managed effectively
and consistently. It will also be easier for the organisation to defend
itself if its integrity is questioned by others.
"The formation of the consultative committee (on political funding) will
hasten the process of creating a culture of transparency, especially
among political parties," said Azman.
PARTY RECORDS SHOULD BE COMPLETE
Another senior lecturer at the same faculty in UiTM, Alwi Mohd Yunus,
concurred with his colleague, saying that the maintenance of a complete
set of records formed the basis of good governance when it came to
political funding.
If political parties failed to keep proper records, it would not be easy
for the consultative committee to function effectively, he pointed out
to Bernama.
"So now the question is, does each and every party have a record
management system, whereby every transaction involving political funding
is recorded? Do they keep the relevant documents?
"Are there existing legal provisions that require each political party
to submit a report on the funds it receives, and uses its records to
back its report? If there are (such provisions), how is this process
being implemented?" asked Alwi.
He also hoped that the consultative committee would impose a ceiling on the amount of funds a party was authorised to collect.
No matter what kind of mechanism was implemented by the committee, sound
record management practices were a crucial aspect of political funding
operations, he added.
"Under a proper record management mechanism, every form of transaction
is recorded, and these records can be used as proof that the
transactions were conducted in accordance with the laws of the nation.
Such a mechanism will prevent the flow of funds from illegal sources,"
added Alwi.
PARTIES WILL BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE
Alwi stressed that political parties would only exercise more
responsibility over their funding activities if an effective system was
in place to manage records of collections, adding that it would also
inject more transparency and professionalism in the world of politics.
"The people in general and party members will be aware of where the
funds are coming from and how they are being distributed and utilised.
In short, it will lead to more transparent financial governance.
"A proper check and balance system can be implemented effectively in this context," he said.
His colleague, Mohd Nizam Yunus, said only through efficient management
of records could political parties ward off allegations hurled at them
by certain quarters.
He added that political parties should also have in their payroll a
qualified records manager, who possessed strong ethics as well, to
closely oversee the party's records to prevent leakages from occurring.
"This is important as party secrets should not be divulged to unrelated
individuals. Such information can only be revealed to the authorities if
any investigation has to be carried out with respect to the country's
laws.
"In any record management system, the security (of the records) is given
much importance. They have to be protected not only from natural
disasters but humans as well, as the records could end up landing in the
hands of unsolicited parties," he said.
