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The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Keeping the office free from political pressures
PETALING JAYA: An independent selection process free of political interests, including from the Prime Minister, is key to establishing an effective ombudsman's office, say stakeholders. The ombudsman must also be granted investigative powers and the authority to summon witnesses and demand documents from civil service departments, they said. It must also be allowed to enter any government premises without having to give prior notice, said Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism's (C4) chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah. 'The ombudsman must be allowed access to all necessary persons and documents to facilitate investigations,' Pushpan said when asked about the progress in setting up the institution in Malaysia. 'Additionally, structural safeguards must be in place to ensure the autonomy of the ombudsman,' he said. C4 sits on the steering committee to develop the Ombudsman Bill, and it has produced a study on how Malaysia can establish such an institution. 'We have had many engagements with the legal affairs division of the Prime Minister's Department (BHEUU), including meetings with Deputy Minister M. Kulasegaran,' Pushpan said. The division has said the Bill is being drafted and is expected to be tabled in Parliament this year. Setting up the institution, which looks into maladministration in government services and works to reform such flaws, is among key reforms promised by the unity government. To make it truly independent, personnel in the ombudsman's office must be appointed through an open call for candidates and a vote in Parliament, said Pushpan. 'The Prime Minister cannot be granted the unilateral discretion to appoint ombudsmen,' he said. The ombudsman's office should also ideally streamline the current system to receive all public complaints against the civil service, he added. Family Frontiers, a group that represents Malaysians who have faced problems with government services, said the ombudsman's effectiveness would depend on its mandate, independence and operational structure. 'The devil is in the details. Civil society organisations have not yet seen the proposed Bill and would like to be meaningfully consulted. There is a risk of creating an additional bureaucratic layer that adds cost to tax payers without delivering tangible outcomes,' the group said in a statement. In many countries, the ombudsman does not have enforcement powers and their recommendations are not legally binding, which may limit their impact, Family Frontiers added.
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Saving time and money with ombudsman
Need for change: Children and their mothers outside the National Registration Department, Putrajaya, in a Family Frontiers' case in 2022. Family Frontiers also supports an independent and effective ombudsman's institution. PETALING JAYA: When a schoolgirl was sexually abused by another secondary student in Ireland, she was made to feel responsible – the school told her it was a behavioural issue. Worse, she was made to meet the abuser, while other students bullied her when they found out. Enter the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO). It investigated the case, and the school had to apologise to the victim while the school's board updated policies to reflect best practices. The National Education Department also included this form of bullying in its national anti-bullying action plan. We have cases like that in Malaysia, too, and that is why an ombudsman of our own is needed. In one case, an English teacher at a school in Kota Belud, Sabah, went missing for nearly the entire school term, and his student failed the subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. Then, mothers married to foreign spouses were unable to pass Malaysian citizenship to their children due to certain laws in the country. In both cases, the affected citizens had to spend thousands of ringgit and countless hours in court seeking redress for these problems, which arose from problematic policies or practices that protect errant civil servants. There are also people who were turned away from government counters because they were deemed to be inappropriately dressed. A Malaysian Ombudsman Office could have tackled these issues, says an NGO that has been working with the government to set up the institution. The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) sits on the steering committee to develop the Ombudsman Bill. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word ombudsman originates from the Swedish term 'representative' and refers to an independent individual appointed to investigate complaints against a body or institution. The students in Sabah and the Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses would not have had to spend all that time in court if there had been an ombudsman's office, says C4. 'The SMK Taun Gusi case would be a good example, as the complaints were made against teachers and education department officers,' said C4 chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah. 'The problems faced by Malaysian mothers trying to obtain citizenship for their children born to foreign fathers would also have been an issue for the ombudsman,' he said. Family Frontiers, a group that helped the Malaysian mothers, also supports an independent and effective ombudsman's institution. 'It is a key component of good governance and democratic accountability,' it said. An ombudsman's role, according to Pushpan, is to pinpoint structural flaws and implement improvements to completely prevent complaints in the future. 'In a nutshell, the ombudsman gets down to the root causes of maladministration and works with the civil service to fix them,' he said. For example, in cases where people are denied entry to government offices due to their dressing, the ombudsman would be able to probe whether there were insufficient guidelines or if officers were inadequately trained. 'The ombudsman would make recommendations to improve policies, regulations, rules and standard operating procedures to prevent similar situations from happening again.'
Malaysiakini
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Asean urged to recognise marriage migration
Family Frontiers has called on Asean member states to recognise marriage migration as a legitimate and growing form of cross-border movement. The group asserted that marriage migration, defined as cross-border unions typically involving a citizen and a non-citizen, remains largely absent from mainstream migration discourse and legal protection across the region.
Free Malaysia Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Simplify visa applications for non-citizen domestic abuse survivors, says NGO
A check on the immigration department's website lists 'isteri teraniaya kepada warganegara (abused wives of citizens)' as among those who can apply for a long-term social visit pass or an extension thereof. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The government must simplify the visa application process for non-citizen survivors of domestic abuse, says Family Frontiers. In a statement released today in conjunction with Mother's Day, the NGO said the long-term social visit pass (LTSVP) typically held by non-Malaysian wives is entirely dependent on the husband's sponsorship. 'When that relationship ends – through divorce or death – the status and stay of these women become precarious. 'Their only alternatives are short-term visas available to non-citizen mothers raising Malaysian children – such as the widow visa, divorcee visa, or one granted to abused spouses,' it said. A check on the immigration department's website lists 'isteri teraniaya kepada warganegara (abused wives of citizens)' as among those who can apply for a LTSVP or an extension thereof. However, the documents required include a statutory declaration that the husband cannot be found, a local sponsor's letter of undertaking, the sponsor's identification card and proof of income (RM2,000 and above) and a copy of a police/hospital report as evidence of abuse. 'These visas come with strict and often punishing conditions; (the requirement for a Malaysian sponsor) can leave women dependent on another man or external party, reinforcing their vulnerability,' it said. Family Frontiers said most of these visas do not permit the right to work, depriving non-citizen mothers of financial independence and the ability to provide for their Malaysian children. It called for the government to remove employment restrictions to empower survivors of domestic violence, to ensure they can rebuild their lives while supporting their Malaysian children. The NGO pointed out that widowed or divorced husbands of Malaysian women – many of whom have Malaysian children – are also denied the right to stay and co-parent their children. 'The law makes no exception for their role as fathers. Instead, they are often given an absurd and deeply insensitive suggestion: marry another Malaysian to secure a visa or obtain an exorbitant work permit or leave the country,' it said. Family Frontiers called for visa renewals to proceed independently without the need for a Malaysian spouse's presence or consent after five years of marriage. 'This measure protects non-citizen spouses from coercion and abuse, providing them with greater autonomy and stability. 'The current pathways to permanent residency and citizenship are limited to individuals who remain in an active marriage with a Malaysian citizen. 'These pathways should also be made accessible to widows and divorced visa holders who, through no fault of their own, were unable to apply for PR or had to endure prolonged PR processing periods that remained unresolved until the death of their spouse,' it said. In November last year, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government may revisit its policies to allow foreign spouses to seek employment in the country, citing economic demands and a need to reduce the nation's reliance on migrant workers. Family Frontiers then urged the ministry to eliminate a clause in the LTSVP which prohibits a foreign spouse from seeking employment, saying they ought to be entitled to work immediately upon the registration of their marriage to a Malaysian citizen. It explained that the right to work was a basic human right, and the move to allow foreign workers to work here would allow the nation to 'tap into an underused pool of skilled labour'.
South China Morning Post
10-03-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Malaysian mums win battle for automatic citizenship for overseas-born children
Malaysian mothers won a bittersweet victory on Monday after a court settlement granted citizenship rights to their overseas-born children aged 18 and younger but excluded adult children, leaving many still in legal limbo. Advertisement Gender discrimination was at the centre of the four-year court battle, brought by a family-rights group and several mothers against the government to allow automatic Malaysian citizenship for their foreign-born children. Without that recognition, children cannot attend state-funded schools, face hurdles finding jobs, and in many cases end up effectively stateless, even if they lived much of their lives in Malaysia, which does not recognise dual citizenship. The government's decision on Monday came as part of a settlement deal with rights group Family Frontiers, which filed a constitutional challenge in 2020 alongside a group of mothers, seeking to ensure Malaysian women married to foreign spouses are given the same rights as Malaysian men to pass on citizenship to children born overseas. The government has not commented on the case. Advertisement The settlement followed amendments to citizenship clauses to the federal constitution, which were unanimously passed by parliament but have yet to be enforced.
