News

by HIDAYATH HISHAM

THE government may table the proposal to establish the Ombudsman Malaysia in the next Parliament sitting if it secures Cabinet approval.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s (PM) Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (picture) said the move aims to strengthen good governance and improve accountability in the public service by consolidating public complaints handling and enforcement agency integrity monitoring under a single entity.

“Findings from the stakeholder engagement sessions have been refined through a policy workshop to form a comprehensive Ombudsman framework. The policy paper will be brought for the Cabinet’s final consideration before being tabled in Parliament.

“The government is confident this initiative will enhance the integrity, transparency and accountability of the public service, while strengthening public, investor and international community confidence in Malaysia’s commitment to upholding good governance and human rights protection,” she told Dewan Rakyat today.

She was replying to Bangi MP Syahredzan Johari (DAP–Bangi), who asked about the status of the Ombudsman Malaysia and the next steps to expedite its implementation following stakeholder engagement sessions.

The Cabinet had on June 12 last year agreed to conduct a year-long stakeholder engagement starting July 2024 to July 2025 to gather feedback on the initiative.

Six sessions have been held nationwide involving hundreds of participants, alongside international benchmarking based on models from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Timor-Leste.

Matters discussed included the structure and composition of the body, complaint scope, jurisdiction exemptions, federal — state power division, appointment terms and types of misconduct covered.

The post Ombudsman Malaysia establishment plan pending Cabinet nod appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.

by HIDAYATH HISHAM

THE Higher Education Ministry (MOHE) reaffirmed that its admission policies do not discriminate against students with disabilities (OKU) who meet the qualifications to pursue tertiary studies.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (picture) said the government’s stance is clear in ensuring equal opportunities for all qualified applicants, including providing necessary campus facilities for students with disabilities.

“Our policy, the government’s policy and also that of the MOHE, is that there is no discrimination against any individual who is qualified to pursue higher education,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who cited a recent case involving a physically-disabled student allegedly denied entry into a local public university, and asked how the ministry would assist high-achieving students with disabilities.

Zambry said he had ordered an immediate investigation into the case after it was reported in the media, stressing that accessibility improvements are being made continuously at university campuses.

He explained that in the case raised, the application process required universities to identify the type of disability to ensure appropriate accommodations could be arranged.

“The matter involving the student with disabilities will be handled…we will ensure that they will be able to study at one of the higher education institutions,” he said.

The minister added that the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is also currently reviewing the case to assess the suitability of placing the student there, which is among the applicant’s preferred institutions.

Recently, reports surfaced on a student only known as Aniq, who is autistic, with a matriculation CGPA of 3.83, whose top course choices at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) were removed in the centralised admissions system (UPU).

The family was reportedly told the decision was due to his autism status, prompting public criticism and calls for more inclusive admission policies.

The post MOHE denies discrimination in OKU student university admission case appeared first on The Malaysian Reserve.