KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya will study the conditions attached to a proposal and its implications to place the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) under the purview of Parliament – a move that appears to run contrary to the view of the agency’s chief.
“Having the MACC under Parliament needs to be discussed… we need to examine the stringent conditions first,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was quoted as saying after attending a Hari Raya Aidiladha gathering in Bukit Mertajam, Penang today.
“It is important to investigate and have real evidence, and charges. Don’t run away from the facts. Don’t make it up. If there are evidence and facts… answer them.”
He added that although the MACC was still under the Prime Minister’s Department, the agency was responsible for investigating misconduct, regardless of an individual’s status.
Bernama also reported Anwar as saying that the MACC now appeared to be more “aggressive” compared to the past.
On Sunday, MACC chief Tan Sri Azam Baki was reported as saying that he disagreed with placing the agency under Parliament as it was the only one monitored by five independent panels to ensure it would be transparent and free of external intervention.
The ones he listed were the advisory panel, operational evaluation panel, prevention and inspection panel, the complaints committee, and the Special Committee on Corruption.
In March, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that he was open to having a parliamentary special select committee picking a new MACC chief even though it would need to be reviewed by government agencies. – June 18, 2024