MPs Call For Independent Commission To Protect Whistleblowers
Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman said that while she welcomed the amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act, including a new provision allowing agencies to maintain protection in the public interest, she believed they remained insufficient without monitoring from an independent body.
'I commend amendment 11(1A), which allows agencies to exercise discretion in maintaining protection if the disclosure provides significant benefits to the public interest. This is in line with internationally practised principles of good faith and public interest.
'However, in my view, this discretion is not enough if it lies solely with the enforcement agencies. Any case must be referred to an independent body, as mentioned earlier,' she said during the debate on the bill in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Earlier, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said tabled the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 for its second reading at the sitting.
The bill, among others, seeks to establish a Whistleblower Protection Committee to obtain statistics and data related to disclosures and complaints received by enforcement agencies under the act.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN–Machang) said he was of the view that the establishment of a Whistleblower Protection Committee, with its members appointed by ministers, did not guarantee independence or effectiveness as it had no review or enforcement powers.
'Many whistleblowers still face pressure and threats. Malaysia needs a comprehensive protection mechanism not only for the public sector or corruption cases, but also in cases involving sexual exploitation, abuse of power by enforcement authorities and corporate elites.
'Protection should also extend to disclosures made to the media, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or MPs if the whistleblowers do not trust the official agency. We must also ensure that whistleblowers in cases involving sexual harassment, political or corporate abuse are protected without prejudice,' he said.
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