Cabinet committee moots new law for federal bodies

A new law to govern federal statutory bodies and their subsidiaries will be introduced, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

It said in a statement today that the law aims to strengthen the legal governance of the statutory bodies, emphasising loans, investments, and the establishment of subsidiaries.

It revealed that this decision was made during a meeting of the Special Cabinet Committee on National Governance recently, which was chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

This is part of efforts to enhance the efficiency of public service delivery, said the PMO.

The meeting also decided to form a task force under the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) to implement recommendations of the Committee on Review of Deaths in Custody.

According to the statement, the recommendations include enhancing legislation, standard operating procedures, and infrastructure to be scrutinised by regulatory entities and implemented by enforcement agencies.

The meeting also decided on drafting the Freedom of Information Bill to provide the public with access to information from public and government bodies.

The PMO said this is to ensure the improvement of public service delivery through citizen involvement in the national policy-making process.

It said the Government Procurement Bill will also be prepared to establish a mechanism for complaints following international standards to strengthen the governance of government procurement.

Other initiatives

Meanwhile, other initiatives to strengthen public service delivery included guidelines on the management and governance of federal statutory bodies by the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department which were issued on April 30.

There was also a directive from the prime minister regarding the governance of government-linked companies and companies limited by guarantee issued on May 20.

In addition, a guideline on the support by administrative personnel in government affairs was introduced on May 21 to ensure endorsement letters are not misused for personal interests.

“This guideline serves as a reminder regarding subsection 23(1) of the MACC Act 2009, which prohibits the use of one’s position or office for any form of gratification whether for personal interests, those of family members, or associates,” read the statement.

The statement also mentioned that since the launch of the National Anti-Corruption Strategies (NACS) on May 7 this year, 60 national sub-strategies were introduced.

This demonstrated the government’s determination and commitment to combatting corruption, it stated.

“In line with the national aspiration to build Malaysia Madani, our goal is to ensure that the well-being and prosperity of the people are protected and free of corruption.

“NACS stresses on education, which serves as a core effort to cultivate values that prevent individuals from falling prey to corruption,” it said.

It added that this also involves improving the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Course and ensuring that the course is conducted at all educational institutions and technical and vocational education and training institutions.

According to the statement, NACS also suggests leveraging the Corporate Integrity System Malaysia (CISM) to promote good governance in the private sector.

The PMO also emphasised that combatting corruption requires the involvement of all parties as well as empowering Malaysians to reject corrupt practices through inclusive and accountable policies introduced by the government.

- Bernama

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