Whistleblower Protection Act improvements scheduled to be tabled in Dewan Rakyat this year

KUALA LUMPUR: Amendments to improve the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2010 are to be tabled in Parliament this year, says Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) M. Kulasegaran (pic).

He said that the proposed amendments to the Act are expected to be presented in Parliament once the study on the centralised agency system is finalised.

“Proposals are scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this year, once the policy on centralised agencies are studied and finalised.

“This is one of the initiatives of the unity government in curbing abuse of power, corruption, among others,” said Kulasegaran during the Questions and Answer session in Parliament on Monday (March 4).

Kulasegaran was responding to Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor), who asked whether the government plans to improve the Act.

According to Kulasegaran, proposals to improve the Act began in May 2019, where various inputs from stakeholders and policy studies were gathered.

Kulasegaran also said there will be specific amendments to Sections 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 26 of Act 711.

“Through these proposals, the prerogative to receive and investigate complaints will be clearer and it will ensure that future investigations are impartial,” added Kulasegaran.

Meanwhile, Kulasegaran said Putrajaya is currently looking into centralisation proposals, where complaints and whistleblowing can be handled exclusively and effectively to create a neutral, transparent and impartial system.

Kulasegaran said the proposals involved the setting up of a centralised agency which will provide training and procedures in providing protection to whistleblowers.

“This is to ensure procedures are more organised and systematic between the centralised agency and the enforcement agency so there will not be confusion of duties between the two,” added Kulasegaran.