KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 — Malaysia needs stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure government agencies can be effectively scrutinised by the public, said the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center).

Its head of research and policy advocacy Arief Hamizan said existing avenues for members of the public to demand accountability from government bodies remain limited, while a culture of secrecy within the bureaucracy continues to erode public confidence.

He was commenting on the proposed special task force between the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) to address revenue leakages at ports.

“It was a positive step, but its role, powers and implementation mechanisms must be clearly defined... clear guidelines are needed to ensure the task force operates effectively, avoids overlapping responsibilities and delivers meaningful outcomes in addressing weaknesses in enforcement and governance,” he said in a statement today.

The anti-corruption watchdog said efforts to strengthen enforcement should also be supported by wider institutional reforms to improve transparency and accountability within government agencies.

Arief said proposed reforms, including the introduction of a Freedom of Information law and the establishment of a federal Ombudsman office to investigate and resolve public complaints against government bodies, could help strengthen public oversight.

He said the success of such reforms would depend on ensuring their frameworks are aligned with international best practices, which would help create more open, responsive and trusted public institutions.

Last week, media reports said the announcement of the special task force to address revenue leakages required greater clarification, particularly on its scope of authority, operational focus and how it would report its findings to the public.

The strategic collaboration between the two agencies was seen as a positive step towards strengthening enforcement, especially in tackling issues involving container management, smuggling, document forgery and attempts to evade tax payments.

However, it remains unclear how the task force would operate, including whether its primary role would be monitoring, prevention or enforcement against those involved in such offences.

MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman previously said the proposal to establish the task force was discussed during a courtesy visit by Customs director-general Datuk Amran Ahmad to the MACC headquarters.

He said both agencies also exchanged views on operational challenges, including Customs inspection procedures, bureaucratic hurdles and internal issues faced by the department.

According to Abd Halim, the meeting also discussed mechanisms to curb leakages in container management under the jurisdiction of the Customs Department at ports nationwide.

Meanwhile, Amran said the Customs Department had shared information on the modus operandi of syndicates attempting to evade taxes, including through smuggling and falsification of information or documents to obtain approvals under certain categories.