Government looking to enhance protection for whistleblowers - PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is in the midst of studying the provisions in relevant laws to enhance protection for whistleblowers who report on corruption and misconduct cases.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said it was among his main focuses now as there were many whistleblowers including civil servants who may feel insecure and unsafe to report such cases due to pressure.

He said there was also a view from the legal side that this would not give way to any party to make false accusations or slander.

"So, as an effort to get facts and information, I agree with the call (for amendment) and we will table it at the next Parliament session at the latest," he said in reply to Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) during the Minister's Question Time at Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

Mas Ermieyati wanted to know the government's commitment to amending the law relating to protection for whistleblowers which should be done as soon as possible as suggested by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia (APPGM) on Integrity, Governance and Anti-Corruption.

In reply to Lo Sui Fui's (GRS-Tawau) original question about the improvement strategy to ensure that the investigation of corruption cases has a real impact and effect, Anwar said the current focus of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is the investigation of large-scale corruption cases.

"Because too much time and energy had been spent to catch the "ikan bilis" (small fry) which would not help much because corruption has become something systemic.

"I believe that the focus on the large-scale cases will convince the people, civil servants and political leaders that the MACC is now more aggressive now," he said.

Anwar said among the large-scale cases being investigated are the Sabah Water Department scandal, the electricity theft involving bitcoin mining, false claims of Penjana Kerjaya incentives and the traffic summons 'discount' syndicate.

To Lo's supplementary question on the formulation of law relating to political funding, Anwar said the government was also committed to doing it, but it was still in the early stage as several reports need to be studied before the draft can be submitted to the Parliamentary Select Committee.

-- BERNAMA