Some states oppose creation of Ombudsman Malaysia, says Azalina as Putrajaya misses July deadline
The minister in charge of legal and parliamentary affairs said the reasons for the rejection varied, with some states insisting on having their own oversight body while others rejected the proposal outright. Azalina did not name the states.
'With regards to the engagement with state governments, I'd like to inform the House that the deadline for talks was meant to end in July, but there was opposition from some states,' she said in a reply to Bangi MP (DAP) Syahredzan Johan.
'I don't want to name them, but some states opposed the plan because some have their own Ombudsman, some are in the process of setting up their own. Then some states don't want (federal) interference at all in terms of oversight of state agencies,' she added.
The paper detailing the role and scope of the proposed Ombudsman Malaysia, which Azalina said will be 'fully independent', was tabled in a Cabinet meeting in 2023. It was one of the key institutional reforms pledged by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when he assumed office.
The proposed Ombudsman Malaysia will be an independent body to receive and address complaints involving the federal public service delivery system. It will replace the current federal government's complaints bureau and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission.
Azalina told Parliament last week that the government is in the final stages of setting up the new body, and aims to table the Ombudsman Malaysia Bill in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting.
When asked by Besut MP (PAS) Datuk Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh if there are mechanisms to prevent abuse of power among Ombudsman members, the law minister acknowledged the concern but did not elaborate.
She said the new body's mandate will include addressing complaints of maladministration and misconduct of enforcement officers.
'Most importantly, it will also take over the role of administering the Whistleblower Act and the Freedom of Information Act, this is something not covered by the Public Complaints Bureau,' she said.
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