THE final report of the Council of Eminent Persons on institutional reforms on the economy and finance was never made public as it was bound by the Official Secrets Act 1972, Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said today.

Fadillah told the Dewan Rakyat that a special task force on institutional reform had been formed last month to research and propose reforms, including the implementation mechanism, for the cabinet to consider.

The task force is chaired by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.

He was responding to a question from Saifuddin Abdullah (Indera Mahkota-PN), who asked for details on the range of institutional reforms, including parliamentary reforms that are being undertaken

Fadillah also said an Institutional Reform Workshop was held on January 17 involving government agencies, civil society groups and non-governmental organisations that focussed on legislative and national institutional reforms.

He said the series of engagements with ministries, departments, or agencies will finalise the proposed institutional reforms that are to be implemented before being presented to the Cabinet.

Fadillah added that the unity government takes the issue of institutional reform seriously and will be thorough in its implementation of the agenda.

He added all reforms proposed will take into account the views of stakeholders before they are executed.

Fadillah said among the reforms under study is the government plan to create a parliamentary system and management of elections based on principles accepted by all parties, a free, fair and transparent system.

He said last year, a special cabinet committee was formed to study the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) on the electoral system and its management before it is submitted to the cabinet for consideration. The ERC was formed in 2018. –  February 28, 2023