Projek Sama flags key omissions in reforms initiative

Summary

• Projek SAMA lauds the launch of PetaRI, a digital platform on institutional reform, but raises concerns over the exclusion of several key reform promises.

• The group highlights that PetaRI omits reforms on appointments to MACC, EC, and IGP posts; a Fixed-Term Parliament Act; equitable allocations; and electoral boundary reforms.

• It urges the government to introduce public consultation mechanisms and set deadlines for bills.

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A civil society group has raised concerns over the absence of significant reform promises in the government’s newly-launched Institutional Reform Map Microsite (PetaRI) platform designed to track the progress of institutional reforms.

While welcoming the initiative for improving transparency, Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) highlighted the omission of critical reforms, some of which were previously pledged in Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto.

Some of the key reforms Projek Sama said are absent from PetaRI’s list of 26 draft bills, legal studies, and strategic initiatives include:

• Reforms to the appointment process for the MACC, the Election Commission, and the inspector-general of police.

• A Fixed Term Parliament Act to enhance political stability.

• Laws for equitable constituency allocation for all elected representatives.

• Legal amendments to curb malapportionment and gerrymandering of electoral constituencies.

• Absentee/postal voting rights for Sabahans, Sarawakians and other Malaysians who live outside of their state.

Projek Sama also noted that the bill on home detention, which is reportedly set to be tabled this year, was missing from the platform’s listings.

The group insisted that such reforms should be considered for further studies and implementation before the term of the current government ends in 2027.

As such, it said the publication of Green or White Papers as a means to facilitate public consultation should be introduced as a norm for new laws or policies with far-reaching implications or those subject to divided public opinion.

In Parliament, a Green Paper precedes a White Paper and serves as a preliminary discussion document, while a White Paper outlines a government's proposed policy or plan.

Clear deadlines needed

Without the publication of such papers, the group said, stakeholder consultations often occur in silos and opaqueness, thus enabling roadblocks and delays while preventing the achievement of the best solution or a compromise.

Noting that “only several” bills have approximate deadlines currently, Projek Sama said that there should be clear deadlines for all bills and amendments to be tabled in Parliament, with any delays explained on PetaRI.

“It is imperative that the government’s efforts to reform our institutions go beyond superficial changes and reflect genuine, structural transformations.

“PetaRI should not just be a public relations exercise (as) the rakyat expect real, meaningful change - not token gestures dressed up as progress,” the group said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, notable inclusions on PetaRI cited by Projek Sama include the Ombudsman Bill 2025, the Political Financing Bill 2025(albeit without mention of public funding for parties), the Parliamentary Services Act 2025, and the Freedom of Information Bill 2025.

Also commended were studies on a 10-year term limit for the prime minister, separation of powers between the attorney-general and public prosecutor, the viability of a Human Rights Tribunal and the National Human Rights Action Plan strategic initiative.

PetaRI was launched by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department on May 22 as a component of the AI Legal Justice Roadmap 2025-2026.

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