No urgent need for MACC service commission, says govt

Putrajaya is of the view that there is no immediate need to form an MACC service commission, based on the anti-graft agency’s current composition.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said noted that the necessity of establishing such a commission is currently being reviewed. 

“The proposal to establish a separate service commission for MACC requires the commission’s full readiness and capacity, as it would have a significant impact on MACC’s overall structure and administration.

“The establishment of this commission will take into account the government’s policy needs or decisions from time to time, as there is currently no pressing requirement based on the commission’s existing composition,” the minister said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday. 

She said this in response to a query posed by Umno’s Paya Besar MP Shahar Abdullah, who had requested the government to provide updates on the formation of an MACC service commission.

In March, Malaysian Bar president Ezri Abdul Wahab pushed for the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Service Commission (ACSC) as an independent body responsible for appointing and overseeing the MACC chief commissioner and officers.

Noting that the move would ensure that leadership appointments are merit-based and free from undue influence, Ezri said the ACSC would also be empowered to remove the chief commissioner for misconduct or inability to perform duties, with a fixed tenure of five years to prevent arbitrary dismissals.

Last month, Azalina said the proposal to establish a parliamentary special select committee comprising both government and opposition representatives to assess candidates for the MACC chief commissioner position requires thorough consideration. 

The minister said the proposal needs deliberation and coordination among various stakeholders, taking into account its overall suitability and impact.

Azalina: Civil servants top arrests for receiving bribes in past decade

MACC probing online media company over smuggling link

MACC nets RM31.4b in seizures, RM28b in forfeitures in 5 years

Smuggling syndicate: 5 senior military officers among 10 remanded

Fly syndicate thumbs nose at EAIC probe, operates with impunity