Malaysia: Commit to a rights-focused Freedom of Information framework

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Malaysia: Commit to a rights-focused Freedom of Information framework - Transparency

ARTICLE 19 together with The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center), Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) and 58 civil society organisations is calling on the Malaysian government to commit to an effective, progressive, and rights-focused Freedom of Information framework, as the government moves forward with legislating the Freedom of Information Act. 

As Parliament begins its Second Meeting of the year, Malaysia edges ever closer to legislating a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. This legislation is crucial in facilitating the right to information, a right that is not only pivotal in bringing to light acts of corruption and accountability within government but, more generally, is a fundamental human right in any functioning democracy. 

Article 10(1)(a) of the Federal Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. A progressive and purposive constitutional interpretation would justify that meaningful expression requires access to information held by public bodies and authorities. Without the right to seek, receive, and engage with information which is essential to public discourse, individuals would be unable to hold opinions, express themselves effectively, and participate in democratic governance.  

Therefore, the undersigned organisations and individuals unequivocally state that the following elements are non-negotiable for an effective, progressive, and rights-focused FOI Act and framework. In drafting this new FOI regime, the Federal Government must fully commit to implementing these elements if it truly intends to forge a new path of transparency, public accountability and democratic governance. 

Fundamental principles underlying the Malaysian FOI regime 

The following non-negotiable fundamental principles must be incorporated into the FOI Act. These principles are based on international human rights standards and are essential for a viable and progressive FOI regime. 

  1. All information held by the government belongs to the public and must be openly available by default. The government is merely a custodian of this information and should restrict access to, or withhold, such information only where there are legitimate and clearly defined grounds for exemption from disclosure. 
  2. Access to information must not be conditional. Terms or conditions cannot be imposed on a prospective applicant before they are entitled to receive information. In particular, applicants should not be required to declare or justify their reasons for making an application and seeking said information. 
  3. Statutory grounds for non-disclosure must be exhaustive, specific, clear, and unambiguous. All exemption grounds must be balanced against the public interest and harm tests when determining whether disclosure should be granted. Any restrictions on disclosure and access to public information must be grounded in international human rights standards of legality, necessity, and proportionality.  
  4. Legal harmonisation is a prerequisite for a progressive FOI regime. A comprehensive harmonisation of all laws and regulations that may impact the creation and implementation of a robust FOI framework must be undertaken in tandem with the drafting of the FOI Act, e.g. the Official Secrets Act 1972, Section 203A of the Penal Code, and the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. 

Scope of the Act 

The Federal FOI Act must apply without restriction to all Federal Government ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as federal statutory bodies. There cannot be any exemptions for entire ministries or departments. Exemptions should only be based on the nature, sensitivity and demonstrable harm, rather than by the identity of the public authority holding it.  

Regulation and oversight of the FOI regime 

An independent regulatory and oversight body must be established to monitor the implementation of the FOI Act, issue binding determinations on appeals or disputes pertaining to FOI requests, and develop guidelines to operationalise and elaborate on the Act’s basic principles. Structural and institutional safeguards must be implemented to preserve the independence and autonomy of this body, and it must have full access to all relevant documents or information, notwithstanding other secrecy laws. 

Regarding its function as an arbiter of disputes, the independent body must be empowered to conduct de novo merit reviews of an executive department/agency’s decision on a FOI application and not be limited to reviewing procedural compliance alone. 

This function may be assigned to the proposed Ombudsman office, as long as sufficient resources (financial and staffing) are allocated to account for and effectively fulfil these dual functions. 

Proactive disclosure schemes 

In order to encourage a cultural shift towards transparency and accountability, legislating the FOI Act alone is insufficient. The government must also commit to creating broader policies to ensure information is published and routinely updated in an easily accessible manner. The goal should be to create an efficient proactive publication system so that an FOI request is a last resort for members of the public. 

Conclusion 

Beyond this, we emphasise that there must be an absolute cultural shift within the government towards greater openness, transparency, and accountability.  

As Malaysia’s democracy matures, the culture of secrecy by default and paternalistic view that ‘the government knows best’ is no longer tenable. This Parliamentary meeting presents an opportunity for the MADANI government to move beyond rhetoric and demonstrate its commitment to reform by establishing an information regime that truly empowers the people and fosters trust in the government. To achieve this, the government must work towards a framework that recognises access to information as a right rather than a privilege.  

It is vital that the government does not waste this chance. 

Issued by (Organisations): 

  1. The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) 
  2. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) 
  3. ARTICLE 19 

Endorsed by (Organisations): 

  1. Advocates for Non-Discrimination and Access to Knowledge (ANAK) 
  2. Aliran 
  3. All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) 
  4. Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) 
  5. Architects of Diversity 
  6. Association of Women Lawyers (AWL) 
  7. Badan Bertindak Penduduk Flat Kos Rendah Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park, Jalan Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur 
  8. BERSIH 
  9. Childline Foundation 
  10. Child Rights Coalition Malaysia 
  11. Community Action Nexus Berhad 
  12. Consumers’ Association of Penang 
  13. Damansara Utama Residents Association B1 
  14. ECPAT Malaysia  
  15. Freedom Film Network 
  16. Gabungan Darurat Iklim Malaysia Berhad 
  17. Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm) 
  18. HAI MANDAK! 
  19. I Care Community Center  
  20. Ikatan Anak Muda Tawau 
  21. Impactlution  
  22. Justice for Sisters 
  23. Klima Action Malaysia – KAMY 
  24. KLSCAH Civil Rights Committee  
  25. Kolektif Seni dan Budaya Malaysia 
  26. Kuala Lumpur Residents Action for Sustainable Development Association (KLRA+SD) 
  27. Lawyer Kamek 
  28. MANDIRI 
  29. Migrant care 
  30. National Union of Journalists Malaysia 
  31. North South Initiative 
  32. OHMSI Sdn Bhd 
  33. OKU Rights Matter Project 
  34. People Like Us Hang Out (PLUHO) 
  35. Persatuan Martabat Untuk Semua 
  36. Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat 
  37. Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia 
  38. Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam 
  39. Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA) 
  40. Protect Karpal Singh Drive 
  41. Pusat KOMAS 
  42. RA Section 14 Petaling Jaya 
  43. RA Section 20 P.Jaya 
  44. Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) 
  45. Sabah Journalists Association 
  46. Sabah Youth Movement 
  47. Sahabat Alam Malaysia 
  48. Save Malaysia Stop Lynas 
  49. SAVE Rivers  
  50. SAWO 
  51. Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia [SABM] 
  52. Sinar Project 
  53. SIS Forum (Malaysia) 
  54. SIUMAN Collective 
  55. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) 
  56. Teoh Beng Hock Association for Democratic Advancement 
  57. Third World Network 
  58. Women’s Aid Organisation 

 Endorsed by (Individuals): 

  1. Alice Chan Ai Lee 
  2. Andrew Aeria 
  3. Andrew Khoo 
  4. Ann Lee 
  5. Anne James  
  6. Anwar Fazal 
  7. Azira Aziz 
  8. Beatrice Aren 
  9. Chamil Wariya 
  10. Chang Teck Peng 
  11. Cindy May Justin 
  12. Dania Amani 
  13. Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS 
  14. Dr Linda Lumayag 
  15. Dr Tricia Yeoh  
  16. Farrah Nur Fareena Binti Farid Azran 
  17. Gayathry Venkiteswaran 
  18. Glen Pengiran 
  19. Goh You Ping  
  20. Gowri Subramaniam  
  21. Heng See Lin 
  22. Ho Yi Jian 
  23. Ho Yock Lin 
  24. Ivy Josiah 
  25. Juvita Tatan Wan 
  26. K. Sudhagaran Stanley  
  27. Lee Ren Xin 
  28. Lee Shook Fong 
  29. Lim Yean Nyok 
  30. Lisa Wong 
  31. Loo Wuen Yuen 
  32. Mahyuddin Ahmad Abdul Rahman  
  33. Mariammah a/p Subramaniam 
  34. Mohd Ishak Abdillah Ngah  
  35. Muhammad Ariff Mohamad Nizam 
  36. Muhammad Nasrun Bin Abd Wahab @ Ismail  
  37. Naziaty Mohd Yaacob 
  38. Ng Tien Eng 
  39. Ngo Sheau Shi  
  40. PARIMALA A/P NESAMANY 
  41. Prakash Gopalakrishnan 
  42. Pushpa Dorsisamy 
  43. Pushpan Murugiah 
  44. Roger See Ewe Chee  
  45. S. S. Yoga 
  46. Sakuntala Devi d/o Dev Raj 
  47. Shanti Somasundram 
  48. Sharmila Sekaran 
  49. Sheila Gopal Krishnan 
  50. Shyamala Ponniah Maha Balasandren  
  51. Sonia Randhawa  
  52. Sonya Liew Yee Aun 
  53. Sukumaran 
  54. Syahila binti Zainal 
  55. Terence Ooi 
  56. Thulasi Munisamy 
  57. U K Menon  
  58. Vasanthi Nagappan 
  59. Yuenwah SAN