KUALA LUMPUR: Amending the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) is among recommendations made by graft busters to strengthen governance in financial management and procurement of stratified properties.
It is part of a series of recommendations made to the National Housing Department by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Governance Investigation Division during a session on June 16.
The division's deputy director, Ahmad Shukri Mohd Taib, said the proposals address challenges faced by the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) in overseeing financial management and procurement practices in stratified developments.
"One of the key recommendations are amendments to the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) to expand the investigative powers of the COB in cases involving conflicts of interest and misuse of funds.
"We also proposed introducing compoundable offences to enable faster enforcement action and improve compliance, as well as gazetting financial management and procurement guidelines to make them legally enforceable and provide clearer procedures," he said in a statement on Friday (June 19).
Other recommendations include developing an e-reporting system similar to Singapore's Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act 2004 to facilitate periodic and transparent reporting, thereby reducing the risk of document manipulation.
"We also called for a restructuring of staffing through the addition of personnel and the establishment of an optimal officer-to-property monitoring ratio.
"Continuous professional training for officers in financial management, auditing, procurement, and enforcement is also crucial," he added.
The recommendations were welcomed by the department, which expressed confidence that their implementation would strengthen governance, enhance transparency and accountability, and further improve organisational integrity, efficiency, and service delivery.
