From Complaint Institution to Ombudsman: Structural Effectiveness, Challenge and Reform in Malaysia
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Abstract
This article evaluates the structural effectiveness of Malaysia’s primary complaint institutions—the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB), Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC), and Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)—in anticipation of the upcoming Ombudsman Bill. The authors employ a doctrinal research method to study the effectiveness of these bodies, primarily their lack of structural independence from the executive and the absence of binding enforcement powers. The authors found that although all the complaint institutions are efficient in case resolution, these institutions frequently function as "toothless tigers" because their recommendations are routinely disregarded or partially implemented by government agencies. The article also looks into the potential challenges for the proposed Ombudsman Bill, such as enforcement power, structural independence, and jurisdiction issues. The authors recommend that the new ombudsman must have binding power, be elected by a special standing committee, separate the federal ombudsman and state ombudsman, and specify all the agencies that will be under the Ombudsman's purview in a single schedule. Finally, the article proposes urgent reforms for the IPCC and SUHAKAM.
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References
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