State pushback slows plan to extend ombudsman M’sia to local level

The engagement process on the proposal to expand the jurisdiction of Ombudsman Malaysia to the state level, which was supposed to be completed last July, has been delayed due to objections from several state governments.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said said the objections arose because some states already have their own ombudsman, while others are in the process of setting up such a body.

“There are also states that do not want any involvement at all, even in terms of monitoring agencies at their level,” she said during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She was responding to a supplementary question from Syahredzan Johan (Harapan-Bangi), who asked whether Ombudsman Malaysia would handle matters outside the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Azalina said the establishment of Ombudsman Malaysia aims to strengthen good governance, improve accountability in public services and provide a more effective complaints channel.

For now, she said the proposal will cover only federal agencies, while the possibility of expanding the jurisdiction to state-level agencies, including local authorities, will be subject to the agreement of the state governments.

- Bernama

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