KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed State-Owned Enterprises Bill is expected to be tabled soon, with the government hoping to pass it by the end of the year to tighten oversight of government agencies, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government was finalising the Bill, which he announced during the tabling of Budget 2027, to strengthen governance of government-owned companies and statutory bodies entrusted with managing public funds and assets.
"We are finalising the Bill and we will table it to ensure better regulation and a more robust framework for these bodies and agencies, including bumiputra agencies in disarray," he said during Prime Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Oct 20).
"The government has entrusted them with responsibilities and expected them to make good use of these opportunities, but the breaches have been so serious that the losses amount to billions of ringgit.
"As such, we hope to pass the Bill this year to ensure that these government agencies will be subject to stricter regulations."
When tabling Budget 2027 on Oct 9, Anwar said the proposed legislation was aimed at preventing a recurrence of past excesses and scandals.
He said the Bill was part of efforts to strengthen the Madani reform agenda as the government enters its fifth year in office.
The government, he added, would work closely with government-linked companies (GLCs) and the corporate sector to improve service delivery to the people.
