KUALA LUMPUR: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) should be merged into the proposed Ombudsman Office, due to their similarity of functions in investigating maladministration.
Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4) policy and legal research officer Prishanth Linggaraj said consolidating efforts and resources between the Ombudsman and the EAIC, which deals with misconduct by enforcement officers, can result in a more streamlined and effective oversight infrastructure.
"It (Ombudsman Office) should be given a broad investigative power to probe into public complaints, including the ability to seek cooperation from government agencies and unrestricted access to relevant documents and premises.
"At the state level, a similar agency should be established, as the federal Ombudsman would not have the authority to oversee state public services due to the constitutional separation of powers between the federal and state governments," he said at the launch of the "Structuring the Malaysian Ombudsman Office" report.
C4 chief executive officer Pushpan Murugiah said the body should be placed under the parliament to ensure its autonomy and independence from the executive branch.
"To ensure transparency, a statutory requirement should be introduced for government agencies in providing details written if the Ombudsman Office's recommendation is not followed, that would then be referred to a parliamentary select committee.
"It is hoped that the Ombudsman will act as a catalyst for the reforms to be identified and implemented moving forward," he said.
He said the role of Ombudsman should be viewed as conciliatory and incentivise moves for the reforms rather than aiming at penalising civil servants.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said the initiative to establish the Malaysian Ombudsman is an important milestone for the country in its efforts to improve governance in the public service delivery system.
The 126-page report is available online at https://c4center.org/c4-center-report-structuring-the-malaysian-ombudsma...
It among others pointed out the Public Complaints Bureau's lack of statutory foundation and vulnerability to political interference.
Establishing an Ombudsman with statutory powers, independent from direct government control, can prevent such risks and enhance public confidence, it said.
