Kuala lumpur: The government must establish an Independent Oversight Committee that reports directly to Parliament to strengthen accountability and restore public confidence in the nation's anti-corruption framework, said PKR Deputy President Nurul Izzah Anwar.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, while acknowledging that the fight against corruption under the MADANI administration has been more active compared with previous eras, she stressed that activity alone does not necessarily equate to accountability, noting that growing public concern over the integrity of anti-corruption institutions has resurfaced repeatedly in recent months.
Nurul Izzah said the determination to clean up the system without regard to rank or status must be accompanied by due process, transparency, and sustainable prosecutions to command public trust. She proposed that the oversight committee should be empowered to review enforcement actions, scrutinize decisions related to asset freezes, audit financial flows, and ensure anti-corruption efforts are guided by evidence, due process, and the public interest.
She emphasized that the initiative is not about weakening the fight against corruption but about strengthening it by restoring credibility, transparency, and public trust. Reform requires that institutions must not only be powerful but also answerable. Nurul Izzah added that institutions must be both powerful and answerable to pursue justice without fear or favor, ensuring no one, including those entrusted with enforcement, stands above scrutiny.
She highlighted the importance of a strong, independent, and fearless Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for a credible anti-corruption agenda, clarifying that questioning power exercise should not be seen as an attack on enforcement institutions. Investigations involving high-profile political figures, former ministers, senior civil servants, and cases linked to the defense sector illustrate the need for accountability.
In recent years, repeated instances of asset freezes involving prominent or wealthy individuals, later unfrozen without clear justification, have raised concerns. Nurul Izzah noted that enforcement actions must not appear reckless or arbitrary, especially in asset freezing cases.
Referring to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) scandal, she mentioned the allegations involving millions of ringgit and senior officers within the Armed Forces have seriously impacted public confidence. Beyond individual scandals, deeper concerns about how enforcement powers are exercised and monitored are being raised by the rakyat, with vast investigative, prosecutorial, and financial powers concentrated within a single institution under the MACC Act posing systemic risks.
Nurul Izzah concluded that corruption is not just a failure of individuals but a product of systems that tolerate, protect, and at times reward misconduct. The rakyat demands evidence-led investigations, sustainable prosecutions, and the full recovery of stolen wealth for the nation's benefit.