KUALA LUMPUR: The government is considering the merger of the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) for the establishment of Ombudsman Malaysia, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M. Kulasegaran said this would be carried out through a unique model.
"The government is committed to establishing Ombudsman Malaysia as an independent body that will receive and address complaints related to the federal public service delivery system.
"In this regard, the Madani government is considering a unique model of Ombudsman Malaysia that will combine PCB and EAIC," he said during the minister's question time in Dewan Rakyat today.
Kulasegaran said this in response to Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik), who inquired about the latest plans to enact the Malaysian Ombudsman Act that is transparent, accountable and efficient.
Previously, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) called for the EAIC to be merged into the proposed establishment of Ombudsman Malaysia due to their similarity of functions in investigating maladministration.
The corruption watchdog also said consolidating efforts and resources between the Ombudsman and the EAIC, which deals with misconduct by enforcement officers, could result in a more streamlined and effective oversight infrastructure.
In its Structuring the Malaysian Ombudsman Office report, C4 also pointed out that PCB lacked a statutory foundation and was vulnerable to political interference, among others.