KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 12): Ombudsman Malaysia, a new agency for public complaints and government misconduct, will only have oversight over federal agencies in its first phase, with states only covered if they agree, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said during minister’s question time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday that while engagement sessions were meant to finish in July, some states have objected — especially those with their own Ombudsman or who oppose federal control over state agencies.
“I will not name these states as discussions are ongoing, and the matter will be brought to the Cabinet for policy decision,” she said in reply to Syahredzan Johan (PH–Bangi), who had asked about the status of the proposal and whether it would handle matters beyond federal jurisdiction.
“In formulating the policy, we are also studying the potential to extend powers to state agencies, including PBTs (local councils), but this is contingent on the agreement of the state governments,” Azalina added.
She said that the government is in the final stages of detailing the implementation framework and stakeholder engagement for the establishment of the agency. The bill could be tabled by October, if approved by the Cabinet.
The Ombudsman will replace the Public Complaints Bureau (Biro Pengaduan Awam, BPA) — currently under the Prime Minister’s Department, and tasked with handling public grievances against government agencies — and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (Suruhanjaya Integriti Agensi Penguatkuasaan, SIAP), which oversees complaints and investigations into enforcement agency misconduct.
The new agency will also oversee implementation of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 and the Freedom of Information Act (to be introduced).
The move follows amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 passed by the Dewan Rakyat on July 22, 2025, although several members of Parliament had criticised the changes for not fully safeguarding whistleblowers — particularly by maintaining restrictions on disclosing wrongdoing to the media when the wrongdoing involves the agency itself.
The Cabinet had in June 2024 agreed to undertake a holistic stakeholder engagement process to refine the Ombudsman framework, according to Azalina. Six zonal sessions have since been held nationwide, involving hundreds of participants, alongside benchmarking against international models in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Timor Leste.
The Ombudsman Malaysia proposal originated from a Protem Committee formed in August 2023 to draft the body’s initial structure, functions and jurisdiction, and to initiate early discussions with stakeholders.
For more Parliament stories, click here.