The government is in the final stages of detailing the implementation of the proposed Ombudsman Malaysia, an independent body to receive and address complaints involving the federal public service delivery system.
Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the establishment of the body was among the Madani government’s main agenda, with six “holistic engagements” held between July 2024 and last month.
She said these engagements were to obtain the input and feedback of various stakeholders. They involved the participation of 665 people across the country.
“These engagements included benchmarking against successful ombudsman models in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and East Timor.
“The matters tabled during these engagements included the preliminary proposals and parameters of Ombudsman Malaysia, covering its structure and composition, functions and jurisdiction, as well as the scope.
“The input gathered covered critical issues such as jurisdiction exemptions, Ombudsman Malaysia’s impact on the division of powers between the federal and state governments, the tenure of appointments and the scope of misconduct by government officers.”
Azalina said the government was finalising a proposed list of policies for Ombudsman Malaysia, which would then be brought to the Cabinet.
She also said the idea to replace the government’s public complaints bureau and Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission with Ombudsman Malaysia was not new and that concrete steps to make it a reality started in 2023.
In November, Azalina’s deputy, M Kulasegaran, said the Ombudsman Malaysia bill was expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in early 2025.
Two weeks ago, Kulasegaran said Ombudsman Malaysia would also replace the current whistleblower protection committee and have wider powers and clearer reporting mechanisms.
