Govt moving forward with Bills to regulate charities, tighten management of statutory bodies

 

PUTRAJAYA: The Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) of the Prime Minister’s Department will conduct a study to formulate policy and governance direction for the proposed Bill to regulate trust and charitable entities.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the proposed legislation was aimed at regulating trust entities and public fundraising activities, to ensure the entrusted funds are managed transparently and responsibly.

"This step is important to ensure that entrusted funds are managed transparently and responsibly," he said after chairing the National Governance Special Cabinet Committee's second meeting for the year at Perdana Putra here on Thursday (Oct 1).

The meeting also focused on efforts to curb leakages of public funds and abuse of power, particularly involving federal statutory bodies.

"Law enforcement must be accompanied by continuous efforts to cultivate integrity and good governance in the public sector, private sector and society," he said.

On a related matter, Anwar said the policy for the proposed Statutory Bodies and Controlled Entities (Financial Governance) Bill would be presented to the Cabinet this year to strengthen financial discipline and accountability in management.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Tan Sri Dr Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz, and Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief commissioner (Management and Professionalism) Datuk Indera Junipah Wandi.

Other attendees were Treasury deputy secretary-general (investment) Datuk Dr Shahrazat Ahmad, deputy chief auditor (Finance) Datuk Azman Mahmood and MACC senior director, National Governance Planning Division, Datuk Idris Zaharudin.

Meanwhile, PSD has presented a Prime Minister’s Directive on the Implementation of Public Service Values, based on the national aspirations of Malaysia Madani.

Anwar said the meeting agreed to the proposed implementation.

The meeting also agreed to adopt seven resolutions presented at the Fifth National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Research Conference held on Sept 25.

"Every ringgit of public funds is a trust from the people that must be safeguarded.

"Every power entrusted to us must be used to ensure the wellbeing of the people," Anwar said.

The government is pursuing the reforms as part of efforts to strengthen governance, accountability in financial management and integrity through a new legal framework and the inculcation of values in the public service. - Star