RUU Kebebasan Maklumat: Adakah pandangan pemegang taruh diambil kira, soal Wan Saiful

Pemimpin Parlimen Tasek Gelugor, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, has questioned the extent to which the views of select committee members and bettors are considered in the drafting of the Malaysia's 2026 Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. This issue arose after Wan Saiful claimed that the draft presented during the FOI Bill public hearing session does not reflect the views put forward previously.

He expressed surprise at how the final draft, presented in the morning session, still fails to consider the opinions of select committee members and bettors. Wan Saiful questioned whether the Attorney-General's Chambers which prepared the draft truly took into account all the viewpoints presented or if they dismissed them.

He also supported amending Section 22 of the FOI Bill as raised by several participants in the public listening session. According to him, Section 22 appears to deny the right to obtain information, which is a fundamental right.

He praised the Prime Minister's Department (Legal and Constitutional Reforms) and its chair, Azalina Othman Said, for their efforts to ensure that the views expressed are reflected in the draft FOI Bill. Wan Saiful hopes the select committee can produce a better draft by addressing the identified weaknesses and incorporating the suggestions made.

Finally, he emphasized that the Attorney-General's Chambers either needs to listen to the people's views or not at all. Azalina later stated that the FOI Bill still requires extensive improvements before it can be promulgated and her team is currently conducting research that involves not only the text but also the legislation behind it.

The FOI Bill 2026 is part of the government's commitment to strengthen transparency, accountability, and good governance, aiming to increase public access to official government information regularly and legally.