KUALA LUMPUR – The government is agreeable to making the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) accountable to Parliament, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
Putrajaya is willing to receive recommendations for boosting MACC’s efficacy, including on placing the anti-graft agency under the legislature’s jurisdiction, said the law and institutional reform minister in a parliamentary written reply.
She added the matter will be studied by relevant parties to decide on the appropriate action to take.
Azalina was replying to DAP deputy chairman Gobind Singh Deo (Damansara-PH) who asked the government to state whether it intends to bring MACC under the jurisdiction of the Parliament, instead of the Prime Minister’s Department.
It was reported by the New Straits Times previously that MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the agency was open to giving Parliament oversight of the agency.
However, no further discussion was called for on the matter.
The idea was previously suggested by Dewan Rakyat speaker Datuk Johari Abdul.
Pandan MP and PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli had also said before winning the general election in November that MACC should be placed under Parliament.
To date, however, the unity government has not had any discussions on the matter, said Rafizi, who is now economy minister, earlier this month.
The issue about parliamentary oversight for MACC stemmed from allegations by politicians facing graft investigations that the agency is used as a political tool by the government of the day. – The Vibes, March 1, 2023
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