The Cabinet has deferred the tabling of the Ombudsman Malaysia, and Freedom of Information (FOI) bills to early 2026 to allow more time for refinement and engagement.
Zamri Misman, the director-general of the legal affairs division in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the deferment, decided on Oct 17, will give the Attorney-General’s Chambers sufficient time to review both bills and ensure alignment, legal consistency, and support across all levels of government”.
Zamri said the government expects to table both bills in the Dewan Rakyat by June next year or October at the latest.
“Freedom of information must go beyond legislation,” he said at a roundtable on freedom of information at the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers Centre of Excellence here today.
“It must be accompanied by capacity-building, and most importantly, a mindset shift within the public service – freedom of information as a norm, not an exception.”
On July 15, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government aimed to table the FOI bill by the end of 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen transparency and give the public real access to government decisions.
At the roundtable, Centre for Independent Journalism executive director Wathshlah Naidu also said Malaysia is at a “critical juncture” as it moves closer to implementing a federal FOI law.
Wathshlah said meaningful FOI reform must ensure that information is treated as a public good, and help Malaysia overcome its longstanding culture of secrecy.
“Meaningful reform requires collaboration, courage and collaboration, not just between agencies, but between all other actors that have an investment in public interests.
“It requires courage, because we need to challenge the status quo. We need to challenge our dated secrecy norms,” she said.
