KUCHING: Sarawak is implementing a state ombudsman system to stop the vicious cycle of misusing corruption reports for selective prosecution .
Sarawak Legislative Assembly Speaker Tan Sri Asfia Awang Nasar said there should never be any practice of 'weaponising' graft reports for the sake of going against one's political rivals.
He said reports by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or Public Accounts Committee should not be used for such things.
"The vicious cycle among those who are in power so that they will not abuse reports given by the PAC or by the ombudsman or other agencies. That is the main issue here.
"We must ensure that the reports are not weaponised by anyone, including by the executive against past ministers or past politicians," Asfia said at the opening of an Anti-Corruption and Legal Liabilities for Sarawak assemblymen.
He said this was one of the reasons Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg opted for the ombudsman system.
He said Prof Anthony Justin Travers, a British academic and journalist from the London School of Economics who specialises in issues affecting local government, had once pointed out that ombudsman system could fail due to certain reasons.
"Professor Tony Travers mentioned that the ombudsman system fails, because it requires a lot of manpower, but in Sweden, in which Sarawak models itself, has proven to be successful."
He said in Sarawak's case, an ombudsman has been appointed under the law.
"The power of the ombudsman depends on the law. How far and how much and how strong his power is, depends on the purview, ambit and parameters of the law given to the ombudsman."
Asfia said there should never be cases in which the executive abuses any report from the MACC or PAC to use it against their political rivals.
"Such things lead to selective prosecution. The friends of the executive are spared.
"The enemies of the executive are prosecuted. This vicious cycle continues. So you see, this is about the prosecution of the adversaries of the executive."
Asfia said the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Department will produce a report to be tabled at the upcoming state assembly sitting starting Nov 20.