PANDAN MP Rafizi Ramli has denied that Invoke Malaysia’s provision of campaign funds for selected election candidates is to shore up his political influence in PKR.

The funding programme is to help Pakatan Harapan (PH) win the 14th General Election (GE14), he said.  

“I do have strong influence in Invoke, but that’s the problem with people. They don’t want to do the job but they are always trying to second-guess why others are doing what they do. Because in politics, every move can be interpreted as politically motivated.

“And people are threatened when they see me, because what should have been done years ago has not been done,” he said in an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insight.

Invoke recently offered campaign funding to 30 GE14 candidates iif they would declare their assets.

“The debate over whether politicians should or should not declare their assets is never-ending. As such, I decided to provide a platform for sincere and clean candidates to do it now and not wait for their political parties to go along.

The PKR vice-president said this was the reason the offer was made and accepted.

The Invoke offer was unprecedented, Rafizi said, because traditionally it was the political party that helped wth the funding for its candidates.

But such an arrangement was open to corruption as the party would have to source funds, he said.

It also tied the elected representatives or candidates to their respective parties or “corporate sponsors”.

“These methods encourage corruption because the party has to find millions to fund the whole campaign.”

Rafizi estimates PKR will need RM40-RM50 million while a smaller party such as Amanah will need RM10-RM15 million to fund their election campaigns.

Rafizi said Invoke’s approach might be new in Malaysia but it was common in countries such as the United States where election campaigns are usually funded by public donations. 

Political parties alone cannot defeat BN

“Political parties alone cannot defeat Barisan Nasional. To increase the effectiveness of our campaigns, we need NGOs that are not tied to political parties.

“It is why I established Invoke. I might not even need funding as I might not run. But it would be a waste if my influence is limited to social media.”

Thirty opposition representatives from PKR (20), Amanah (8) and PAS (1) have signed Invoke’s “Aku Janji” pledge to receive funds for their election campaigns.

Invoke’s offer is conditional upon the candidates declaring their assets. 

Funding for candidates not in cash

Under the agreement, Invoke will provide RM10,000-RM20,000 to state assembly and Parliament candidates running for election. 

However, Rafizi said the funding would not be in cash but in materials and resources for the campaign. 

“We do not give money.  RM20,000 is given in the final two weeks of the election period. If we give the money to politicians, they might not use it for the right purposes. 

“It’s why people do not believe in giving money to politicians. People have confidence in Invoke because our technological capabilities and methodologies are proven.”

Rafizi said Invoke volunteers would serve as the election machinery for the candidate and they would supply the video recording services for the campaign. 

 “Usually they have to hire people to film the videos for their campaigns but  Invoke will provide everything as well as ensure the information reaches the fence-sitters because we know who they are.

“It’s a win-win situation and Malaysians will approve,” said Rafizi, who boasts of 14,000 volunteers in Invoke. 

On how Invoke intended to raise the funds it has pledged, Rafizi said the think-tank was relying on fundraising events, sale of souvenirs, and public donations.

“Fund-raising dinners can bring large donations. The most we collected at a dinner was RM400,000, which gave us RM300,000 minus the costs.

“A public donation drive is the most effective. We have collected RM2 million in a month, and we have also received RM500,000 in a week. We have made RM80,000 from the sale of items such as shirts and souvenirs in the past 10 months,” said Rafizi. 

Besides declaring their assets, the candidates also agreed they would work towards setting a two-term limit for the prime minister’s office, ensure public institutions such as the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Bank Negara are free of executive influence, strengthen media freedom, and develop a fair economy for all.   

The politicians have agreed to a RM20 million compound if they should breach the contract. The money will be channeled to an education fund. 

Invoke will have a leaderboard system to keep track of the candidates during the campaign period. Those who are at the bottom for three months in a row will lose their contract with Invoke. – November 27, 2017.