KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 — Lawyers of Liberty today urged the government to make public the Institutional Reforms Committee’s (IRC) reports so that institutional reforms can be initiated immediately.
Its executive director Latheefa Koya said she found it “surprising and incomprehensible” that the government still refuses to publicise the reports’ content, which contains 233 recommendations on governance, integrity, and corruption prevention.
“Public knowledge and discussion of the recommendations would only benefit the reform and change process in which the new government is currently engaged in,” she said in a statement, adding that several IRC members have also been urging the government to make the reports public.
Latheefa said to continue keeping the reports’ content a secret will only serve to create unhealthy speculation and impede the process of reform.
“Secondly, we urge the Pakatan Harapan government to urgently initiate serious reforms on key institutions, including the Attorney General’s Chambers, the judiciary, police force, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Election Commission.
“The government must fulfill its promise to institute institutional reform and entrench human rights as promised in the PH election manifesto, and must not backtrack on the commitments made,” she said.
Latheefa called upon the Pakatan Harapan administration to fulfill their mission of building a clean, accountable and capable government, committed to institutional and political reforms to protect the rights of all races and improve the quality of life of Malaysians.
Currently, the IRC reports are being overseen by the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption. It covers nine critical institutions deemed to be of great public interest and concern, among which include Parliament, the Immigration Department, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, and the Human Rights Commission.
