The Malaysian Insight

THREE controversial government agencies – the Election Commission (EC), Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) – will be placed directly under the authority of Parliament starting today, following a massive restructuring of several key agencies and departments under the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD).

The restructuring is part of the PMD rationalisation plan announced by Putrajaya following discussions between Chief Secretary Ali Hamsa and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The move also ticks off another one of Pakatan Harapan’s promises in its manifesto prior to the 14th general election.

The total shake-up of the PM’s office was approved by the chief secretary in a letter sighted by The Malaysian Insight. The letter was set to the PMD last week.

Under the new structure, the powers of the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) will be placed under the Public Prosecutors Office, which will also report directly to Parliament. The AGC will remain under the prime minister’s office.

The National Audit Department will also report directly to Parliament and no longer to the prime minister.

The Parliament of Malaysia will be an independent body which no longer sits under the PMD, according to the letter.

The restructuring, namely for the three commissions and the transfer of power of the attorney-general, will require amendments to the federal constitution and  several acts related to the agencies before the revamp can take place, said lawyers.

Apart from that, three service commissions involving public servants, teachers and educators, and judges – the Public Service Commission of Malaysia, Educational Service Commission and Judicial Appointments Commission – have also been placed under Parliament.

The restructuring effort will see all departments and agencies under the PMD either transferred to other ministries, merged or shut down, according to the letter.

Following the first post-election cabinet meeting on May 23, Putrajaya announced that the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD), National Professors’ Council, Special Affairs Department (Jasa) and Federal Village Development and Security Committee (JKKKP) would be abolished.

The previous Barisan Nasional administration was criticised for a bloated PMD, which took up a sizeable portion of the annual budget allocation.

In a written reply to Parliament in 2016, former minister Azalina Othman Said informed the Dewan Rakyat that the PMD had 92 units under its purview.

In its election manifesto, PH pledged to reduce government allocations to the PMD.

“In Pakatan Harapan’s first year of administration, we will reduce the PMD allocation from more than RM17 billion now, to less than half, which is RM8 billion,” said the manifesto.

Media reports have showed that budget allocation to the PMD rose from RM1.15 billion in 1986 to almost RM2.4 billion in 1996, and then more than doubled again to RM5.84 billion in 2006.

This allocation was raised again to RM8.9 billion in 2008, the final year under former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The following year, under his predecessor Najib Razak, the allocation surged to RM10 billion.

At the end of Najib’s tenure, PMD was spending RM20 billion a year, making up 6% to 7% of the entire budget allocation.

In Budget 2018, PMD was allocated RM17.4 billion, a rise of 9.3% compared with the year before. – July 1, 2018.