Act 711: Government studying proposal for centralised complaint handling

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is studying the proposed centralisation mechanism for receiving complaints of inappropriate behaviour and providing protection to informants under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2010 (Act 711).

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said the proposed amendments and improvements to the act would enable the exclusive and effective implementation of informant protection.

“This will further create a neutral, more transparent and unbiased environment in handling complaints of misconduct from informants.

“These proposed amendments involve the establishment of a centralised agency with special training and procedures to protect whistleblowers and be able to resolve all matters related to Act 711,” he said during the question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat Monday.

He was responding to a question from Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) who wanted to know whether the government intends to improve the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 to encourage more people to report corrupt activities.

According to Kulasegaran, the proposed centralisation of receiving complaints also aims to ensure the focus on more organised and clear workflow procedures for both the centralised agency and enforcement agencies to avoid confusion in their respective duties.

He said the proposal is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament.

“This is one of the Unity Government’s initiatives to combat the abuse of power, corruption and breach of integrity in society, especially in public and private organisations.

“This proposal is believed to assist the government in creating a Madani society that will consistently reject corrupt practices and integrity violations in everyday life,” he said.