Ombudsman Malaysia to replace whistleblower committee
KUALA LUMPUR : The government will replace the current whistleblower protection committee with the soon-to-be-established Ombudsman Malaysia, which will have wider powers and clearer reporting mechanisms, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran said the current committee was merely a stop-gap measure.
'It is temporary until Ombudsman Malaysia is set up,' he said in winding-up the debate on the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Earlier today, opposition and government MPs called for better amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, warning that the current draft lacked teeth and could enable political interference.
Some MPs had also questioned the appointment of the members to this committee.
Kulasegaran said Ombudsman Malaysia would take over the role of the committee with additional powers, including receiving complaints from whistleblowers involving misconduct.
'SOPs including timelines and relevant aspects will be detailed during the setting up of Ombudsman Malaysia.'
Kulasegaran added that the main objective of the Whistleblower Protection Act remained unchanged – which was to protect whistleblowers.
But he said protection could only be granted if the disclosure was made to an enforcement agency, as stipulated in the Act.
'If the information is not channelled to an enforcement agency, the individual will not be classified as a whistleblower.'
Kulasegaran stressed that the government was confident whistleblowers' identities could be protected if disclosures were made through the proper channels.
'However, if the disclosure is made to the media or the public, it will be difficult to offer protection. The information may be widely shared.'
He further said the government was looking at ways to improve the reporting mechanisms, including allowing disclosures to parties other than enforcement agencies to encourage more people to come forward.
The bill was later passed by the Dewan Rakyat.
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