Freedom of Information Act approved in principle, says Anwar

The Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance (JKKTN) has agreed in principle to the enactment of a Freedom of Information Act to establish clear parameters and guidelines for public access to information from public bodies and the government.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this was among the matters discussed at the meeting of JKKTN, previously known as the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption, chaired by him at the Parliament building yesterday. 

"The meeting also took note of the 18 resolutions from the two sessions of the National Level Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Research Conference in 2022 and 2023 which presented recommendations for improvement from a legal and policy perspective related to governance, integrity and anti-corruption.

"The government will continue to implement good governance empowerment efforts to support the development of the country in line with the desire to develop a civilised Malaysia," he said in a Facebook post.

Anwar said the JKKTN meeting also discussed the country's commitment to continue strengthening governance in the administrative system, specifically through two main shifts: institutional framework governance and corruption-related legislation.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that in line with the meeting's decision regarding the Freedom of Information Act, the Official Secrets Act 1972 or Act 88 would be amended accordingly.

In a statement, it said this was to ensure that the delivery of public services could be improved, and to encourage the involvement of the people in the formation of national policy.

The PMO said the meeting also agreed to enact the Government Procurement Bill to strengthen governance of government procurement by law, with the aim of increasing the accountability of the parties involved. 

"The meeting also agreed that the principle of transparency should be taken into account in the Government Procurement Bill that will be enacted by creating a complaint and objection mechanism, in line with international standards," it said.
 
It said in order to ensure that subsidiaries established under statutory bodies are administered more professionally based on good governance principles, attention must be paid to supervision aspects.

"The meeting agreed that the existing and new legal frameworks should be examined towards the practice of good governance among entities that have government interests," it said.