PUTRAJAYA: The Freedom of Information Bill 2026 will be scrutinised by a Parliamentary Select Committee on Tuesday (Aug 4) before it is tabled in Parliament, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said the first meeting of the Select Committee on the Bill, which she will chair, will focus on finalising the terms of reference.
The committee is then expected to submit its recommendations and findings before the next parliamentary sitting.
"I'm chairing the meeting for the Freedom of Information Bill. We're getting bipartisan participation with the Select Committee, so Tuesday will be the first meeting where we'll be looking into the terms of reference,” she told reporters after the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) monthly staff gathering on Monday (Aug 3).
Azalina said the Select Committee's review will also take into account various views submitted by stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and professional bodies.
"I think there are many concerns, especially on the bulk of the bill. If you observe the comments by NGOs and even certain fraternities, they're saying that the Bill should be much wider. So we will evaluate it on Tuesday,” she added.
On July 13, Azalina announced that the government would table a motion to refer the Freedom of Information Bill 2026 to the Select Committee, allowing for a more thorough examination through engagements with Members of Parliament and stakeholders.
The Bill seeks to establish a procedural mechanism to regulate requests for access to information under the control of public authorities.
It provides that any Malaysian citizen aged 18 and above is eligible to make a written application for access to official information.
However, according to the official published draft of the Bill on Parliament's official portal, the mechanism preserves the application of existing secrecy laws, exempting information classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972 (Act 88), as well as other documents whose disclosure is prohibited or protected under any written law. — Bernama
