KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has granted an audience to Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) chairman Tan Sri Dr Ismail Bakar at Istana Negara on Tuesday (Jan 20).
During the audience, Ismail briefed His Majesty on a comprehensive and integrated approach, including the proposed establishment of Ombudsman Malaysia, which he said is expected to have a positive impact on governance reforms and support improvements in Malaysia’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score.
He also highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen governance, integrity and the effectiveness of enforcement systems in the public sector.
"A clear mandate and broad jurisdiction covering all public service agencies would be crucial in ensuring that Ombudsman Malaysia functions effectively, enabling it to receive and resolve complaints comprehensively while closing gaps that could allow maladministration, misconduct and breaches of integrity," he said in a statement.
He also proposed that findings and recommendations arising from investigations referred by the Ombudsman be utilised by disciplinary authorities for further action.
Such an approach, he said, would help avoid overlapping investigative processes, save time and resources, and expedite disciplinary action against errant public officers, thereby strengthening enforcement efficiency.
In line with EAIC’s role as lead agency for the Enforcement Focus Group under the CPI Special Task Force, Ismail said the proposals reflected a coordinated effort to align and drive reforms within the country’s enforcement system.
Through this role, EAIC is actively formulating improvement measures related to complaint mechanisms, investigations, disciplinary action and accountability among enforcement agencies, in keeping with the broader agenda to strengthen public sector integrity.
EAIC expressed confidence that closer cooperation between oversight bodies such as Ombudsman Malaysia and enforcement agencies would help build a stronger governance ecosystem, enhance public confidence and support the government’s continued efforts to improve Malaysia’s CPI score.
