Reform or Regression? AG-PP Split, MACC Controversy and MADANI’s Promises

Malaysia today finds itself at an important juncture. For starters, the MADANI government is currently led by a reformist coalition and a Prime Minister who has championed good governance and institutional reform for decades. The past few weeks have been especially pivotal, though. On the one hand, you’ve got a recent Bloomberg investigation into alleged “corporate mafia” behaviour within the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), including controversy surrounding Chief Commissioner Azam Baki.  This has reignited public concerns about integrity and continues to impact public trust in the government and institutions. At the same time, the government has tabled major reform initiatives  from the long-debated Attorney General–Public Prosecutor split to a constitutional amendment to introduce a two-term limit for the Prime Minister. So, how do we make sense of the government’s reform agenda so far, particularly when it comes to prosecutorial independence and the structures of the MACC?We speak to Maha Balakrishnan, Parliamentary and Policy Advocacy Specialist. Image Credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.