CSO Platform for Reform opposes the government’s announcement of its intention to place the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) under the purview of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), as the coalition strongly believes this move contradicts the spirit of institutional reform.

We refer to the announcement that was made by Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said on May 2.

Based on our observations, there is no functionality to placing the MACC under the EAIC. Such a move will instead be contradictory to the independence and transparency of MACC, which is required for the body to properly carry out its duties.

It is especially a cause of deep concern to us, as the scope of the EAIC’s authority has been vague and ambiguous since its inception. Furthermore, the independence the of EAIC has also been the subject of debate as the appointment of its chief commissioner is made by the prime minister. This has raised questions about whether the EAIC is truly free from political influence.

As the MACC is the supreme body overseeing anti-corruption activities in Malaysia, it is necessary to ensure that it is able to discharge its duty without any form of political interference.

This is particularly important when we consider the powers held by MACC.

The MACC is an agency with prosecutorial powers, which is not possessed by any other agency under purview of the EAIC. We do not believe placing it under the purview of the EAIC will enhance its independence or authority.

Azalina should instead consider placing the MACC under the purview of parliament for accountability and transparency. We believe this is in line with the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s stance to ensure the transparency and independence of the MACC. 

During the last parliament session, Anwar expressed the government’s willingness to consider appointing the MACC chief commissioner under parliament to ensure transparency and independence.

We call upon the unity government to uphold its reforms principle by abandoning this proposal to instead focus on advancing the reform agenda for the MACC. – May 9, 2023.

* The CSO Platform for Reform is a coalition of 60 Malaysia-based civil society organisations focusing on institutional reform.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.