KUALA LUMPUR: Ombudsman Malaysia yang dicadangkan dijangka berperanan sebagai mekanisme utama untuk memperkukuh perlindungan pemberi maklumat, termasuk mencegah kebocoran identiti pengadu menerusi sistem pengurusan aduan berpusat di bawah satu agensi.

Ketua Penolong Pengarah Sektor Dasar dan Penyelidikan, Bahagian Hal Ehwal Undang-Undang (BHEUU), Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM), Dr Nur Faiza Iskak berkata cadangan itu bertujuan memperkukuh sistem sedia ada susulan kes pemberi maklumat berdepan tindakan balas selepas membuat aduan kepada agensi penguatkuasaan.

"Terdapat banyak situasi yang memerlukan kita meningkatkan kepercayaan rakyat dan pemberi maklumat berharap mendapat perlindungan lebih baik daripada agensi penguatkuasaan," katanya pada sesi Perbincangan Meja Bulat (RTD) bersama Dewan Perniagaan di sini, semalam.

Selain Nur Faiza, panelis lain terdiri daripada Pengarah Bahagian Reformasi Sektor Awam, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Syuhaida Abdul Wahab Zen; Pengarah Seksyen Daya Saing Negara, Perbadanan Produktiviti Malaysia, Wan Fazlin Nadia Wan Osman dan Ketua Pasukan Pengurusan Projek Sistem eWORKS, Bahagian Perolehan Kerajaan, Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia, Ahmad Fauzi Sungip.

Nur Faiza berkata di bawah mekanisme yang dicadangkan itu, semua pendedahan dan aduan akan disalurkan terus kepada Ombudsman Malaysia untuk perlindungan, berbanding dihantar kepada pelbagai agensi penguatkuasaan seperti yang diamalkan ketika ini.

"Apa yang kami cuba lakukan ialah selepas Ombudsman Malaysia dilaksanakan nanti, semua pendedahan akan disalurkan kepada satu unit di bawah institusi ombudsman," katanya.

Beliau berkata inisiatif pemusatan itu dijangka menjadi langkah menangani kebocoran maklumat, khususnya membabitkan identiti pemberi maklumat, di samping memastikan perlindungan lebih kukuh dapat dikekalkan.

"Jadi, institusi itu hanya akan menyalurkan aduan kepada agensi penguatkuasaan untuk siasatan. Tiada pendedahan identiti akan dikongsi dan ini memastikan perlindungan ketat terhadap identiti pemberi maklumat," katanya.

Pada 10 Mei lepas, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-Undang dan Reformasi Institusi), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said berkata cadangan Ombudsman Malaysia bertujuan menangani persepsi rakyat terhadap ketelusan proses aduan dalaman dan tidak bermaksud mekanisme sedia ada tidak berkesan.

Azalina berkata Biro Pengaduan Awam (BPA) bukan tidak berkesan, namun tertakluk kepada persepsi rakyat berkaitan ketelusan dan hasil aduan kerana ia beroperasi dalam struktur pentadbiran kerajaan.

Sementara itu, Wan Fazlin Nadia ketika menyentuh mengenai Reformasi Kerenah Birokrasi (RKB) berkata kerajaan menyasarkan untuk menyiapkan 500 projek RKB tahun ini sebagai sebahagian usaha mempercepat reformasi sektor awam serta meningkatkan kecekapan penyampaian perkhidmatan kepada perniagaan dan rakyat.

Beliau berkata RKB penting dalam mewujudkan ekosistem kondusif bagi pertumbuhan perniagaan dengan mengurangkan kerenah birokrasi, sekali gus membolehkan syarikat memberi lebih tumpuan kepada inovasi, pengembangan perniagaan dan pembangunan bakat.

"Daripada 325 projek yang berjaya disiapkan sepenuhnya tahun lepas, penjimatan kos pematuhan yang direkodkan berjumlah sekitar RM2 bilion yang memberi manfaat kepada perniagaan dan juga rakyat. Ini bukan penjimatan di pihak kerajaan tetapi penjimatan hasil pengurangan proses dan prosedur yang memberi manfaat kepada perniagaan serta rakyat," katanya.

RTD itu dianjurkan oleh Bahagian Perancangan Governans Nasional (BPGN) Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) selaku sekretariat utama Pasukan Petugas Khas Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) bersama Institut Integriti Malaysia dan dirasmikan Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

Lebih 100 wakil dewan perniagaan yang mewakili komuniti perniagaan tempatan dan antarabangsa menyertai RTD itu yang bertujuan mendapatkan pandangan dan maklum balas daripada komuniti perniagaan dalam dan luar negara selain memperkukuh perkongsian maklumat antara kumpulan terbabit.

Ia akan membolehkan kerajaan merangka dasar yang lebih inklusif serta mampu menyokong pertumbuhan ekonomi mampan, inovatif dan lebih berdaya saing.

SUMBER : Berita Harian

SUMBER : Utusan Malaysia

Azalina says proposed Ombudsman will operate independently from government agencies to address public concerns over internal complaint processes

BANGI: The proposed Malaysian Ombudsman is aimed at addressing public perceptions over the transparency of internal complaint processes and does not mean existing mechanisms are ineffective, said Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said the Public Complaints Bureau (BPA) is not ineffective but it is subject to public perceptions concerning the transparency and outcomes of complaints because it operates within the government’s administrative structure.

“I’m not saying it (BPA) is ineffective. The problem is when the mechanism is internal, sometimes many people question its outcome. People may even think twice before lodging a report.

“The Ombudsman will separate the Public Complaints Bureau from government agencies. It will be an independent agency. An independent body,” she said at a press conference after officiating at the MADANI Accountability Framework 2026 Town Hall programme here today. 

Azalina said the move is important to avoid public hesitation in lodging complaints, while ensuring every report of misconduct is examined seriously and without bias.

“So my point is that the whole purpose of the Ombudsman is to separate it from government institutions so that the people will have confidence and complaints will be taken seriously. We are in government service; we are not perfect all the time,” she said.

Earlier, during a question-and-answer session with town hall participants, Azalina said the Ombudsman would not be an enforcement body, but would instead receive complaints, conduct investigations and make recommendations to the disciplinary board of the relevant agency for further action.

She said the recommendations would also be tabled in Parliament as part of the institutional checks and balances process.

“For example, like the IPCC (Independent Police Conduct Commission) in the Royal Malaysia Police, they have their own mini ombudsman. So they do their own investigation. The same thing for the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission).

“So these are all things that we have to sort out before we finalise how we want the Ombudsman to be implemented. I have always believed that in our country, the best way to do things is step by step,” she said.

On the drafting of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Azalina said it would be among the key reforms in strengthening the culture of government openness and ensuring the public’s right to access information is better protected.

She said the effort is in line with current needs to improve transparency in public administration, particularly in the dissemination of information to the people.

“Can you imagine if you write a letter to a government department, but it goes unanswered for months? This is why the FOI is needed, because questions must be answered,” she said.

On Nov 18 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying that the proposal to establish the Malaysian Ombudsman and the drafting of the FOI Act were undergoing engagement sessions and were expected to be tabled during the 2026 Parliament sitting.

The media recently reported Azalina as saying that both institutional reform initiatives involving the government would be tabled at the upcoming Parliament sitting.

According to the Parliament portal, the Second Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament for the Dewan Rakyat sitting will be held for 16 days from June 22 to July 16 this year.

SUMBER : The Sun