The Whistleblower Act, passed in early 2010, is meant to protect those reporting corruption in order to encourage more people to come forward. It also protects those being accused in case the complaint is not valid. However, if anyone divulges the information concerning the complaint to the media or other sources, they will lose eligibility to be protected by the Act.
The Act is part of the Malaysian Government Transformation Program (GTP), which is aimed at fighting corruption in the government, reducing crime, and improving the overall quality live of Malaysian citizens.
Last year, Malaysia received 4.4 out of 10 on Transparency International’s corruption index, indicating a strong need for reform.
In order to better fight corruption Malaysia has created 14 courts specialized in dealing with corruption cases since February.
According to The Star, a Malaysian online news publication, the director of National Key Results Area (NKRA) on corruption, D. Ravindran claimed that 84 percent of government contracts given in the past year have been subjected to a Ministry of Finance (MOF) integrity pact.
Additionally, 237 names have been added to a corruption offender’s database, created as a part of the GTP to keep better track of those involved in corruption.
A transparency international survey this spring revealed that 45 percent of Malaysian citizens believe that there has been an improvement in corruption in the government, up from 38 percent last year.
