Malaysia To Establish Ombudsman To Strengthen Public Sector Integrity

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is set to establish Ombudsman Malaysia with a broader mandate to strengthen integrity and transparency across the public sector.

The decision was reached at today's meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance (JKKTN), chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the proposal would cover maladministration, misconduct, whistleblower protection, and freedom of information, all aimed at safeguarding the public’s right to lodge complaints, improving service delivery, and upholding high standards of integrity in the public sector.

“The Ombudsman Bill will be tabled in Parliament early next year,” according to the MACC in a statement today.

It said that the meeting also discussed four sub-strategies under the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) that require focused attention before they are rolled out next year.

“The sub-strategies include an integrated procurement system known as the Digital Procurement System (d.Pro) by the Finance Ministry, and the drafting of a Freedom of Information Bill to allow the public greater access to government data, undertaken by the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department,” read the statement.

The other two sub-strategies are the digital rollout of the i-Kad through the National Integrated System (NIIse) under the Student Pass module to serve as an identification document for foreign students, overseen by the Home Ministry, as well as encouraging tax incentives for companies accredited under the MS ISO 37001 Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS) by the Department of Standards Malaysia.

According to the MACC, the meeting also welcomed proposals for new legislation to regulate state-owned enterprises (SOEs), including subsidiaries under statutory bodies.

“Under this legislation, the establishment and reporting of SOEs must be presented in Parliament to ensure transparency and accountability,” it said, adding that the move aims to improve corporate compliance, ensuring that companies managing public funds fulfil their social obligations under good governance standards within a more structured legal framework.

“The SOE Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament at the end of 2026,” it said.

Regarding the Integrity and Governance Management System (SPINE), unveiled last Friday, the MACC said it is a national initiative to foster a culture of integrity in the public sector and serves as a mandatory mechanism to assess the integrity and governance standards of public agencies.

The statement said SPINE is an alternative to the ABMS, designed to avoid burdening agencies with costs such as certification fees or external audits, which will be fully implemented across all federal and state public agencies starting next month.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

Also present were Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, MACC Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, Treasury Secretary-General Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican and MACC National Governance Planning Division Senior Director Datuk Idris Zaharuddin.

-- BERNAMA