KUALA LUMPUR | The outcome of a study and parameters for the proposed amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711) will be tabled to the Cabinet, scheduled for next month, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said seven issues involving amendments to several sections of the Act are still being studied by the working committee, which comprises enforcement agencies, private companies, government-linked companies, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
“Seven issues have been identified to be given priority in the process of improving the Act,” he said during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Nov 16).
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Pakatan Harapan-Port Dickson) on the proposed review of the Act and its effectiveness in protecting whistle-blowers in cases of misconduct and high-profile corruption.
Wan Junaidi said of the 73,545 complaints received by enforcement agencies since 2011 until now, the number of informants involved was only 527 people.
According to him, several engagement sessions with stakeholders were held, including with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Government Accountability Project.
Act 711 was enacted to combat corruption and other misconduct by encouraging and facilitating whistle-blowers to make disclosures of improper conduct, protecting persons making disclosures from harmful acts, and ensuring that such disclosures are investigated and managed appropriately.
It was also in line with the government’s initiative with the signing of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on Sept 20, 2008.
