SUMAIYA RABIYANESLIHAN YAKUTAYYUP A. JABAR

ATTO SAID

Accountability in Malaysia

DEFINITION

IN GOVERNANC

E

•Accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving

IN LEADERSH

IP ROLE

S

•Accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, judgments, and policies including the administration, governance, and application within the scope of the role or employment locus and on all sides of the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences which is the most important for efficiency of system.

TYPES OF ACCOUNTABILITY

POLITICAL

ETHICAL

ADMINISTRATIVE

INDIVIDUAL

CONSTITUENCY RELATIONS

is a form of ‘check and balance’. The Auditor General (AG) is the important personal for national accountability (article 106 and 107 of the constitution).

According to the procedure, every financial statement of the government must be submitted to the AG in seven months after year end. If he does not receive any report in the appointed time, the AG will make a report to the King of Malaysia (hereafter YDPA) and there onward to the parliament.

AUDITING

The king…

The King of Malaysia (Yang Di Pertuan Agung, YDPA) is the Head of Federation for Malaysia.

Prime Minister will need to address the YDPA about related issues of the government

Majesty’s position which is traditionally respected, the YDPA can influence the government to act with accountability

THE PARLIAMENT

• In Malaysia, Parliament is the highest institution protected by the powers of the YDPA

• Accountability can be derived from a question-answer session and a debate where the responsible minister is required to provide answers to every question forwarded.

• However, certain issues related to nationality, Bumiputra rights, the Malay language, monarchy and others are prohibited from being debated upon.

“to observe the actions of the authorities and improve any

defects in an unfair administration towards the

people”

On 23 July 1971, the Ombudsman system in the Malaysian version, which is

the Public Complaints Bureau (PCB), was set up.

OMBUDSMAN

ELECTIONS

• Even though the BN still remains as the governing party every time the elections are held, the total of mandate received always changes and ads to the integrity of the elections procedures.

NGO:

the racial conflict that occurred on 13 May 1969 was the

culmination of all the racial confrontations that had built up

between the Malays and the Chinese. This incident had stopped all means of open

political participation.

The approach adopted by the NGOs is more prone

towards discussions rather than confrontational which

is seen as more safe and peaceful way to resolve

conflicts

Under Official Secret Act (OSA), the freedom of media is very

restricted in Malaysia.

Despite such suffocation, the social media is taking over the responsibilities

of check and balances for the government, which was prominently evident in the last general election in

Malaysia 2013, which was titled as the first social media election.

MASS MEDIA

ACCOUNTABILITY IN 16 YEARS

BR1M

• This is a good example BR1M stands for to help people who are low income in their house hold the government announced to give out a one-off cash payment of RM500 to households with an income of less than RM3,000 a month. This assistance is one of the various initiatives undertaken by the Barisan Nasional government to alleviate the burden of low-income earners in facing the rising cost of living.

CONCLUSION

Accountability is an ethical concept that is universal in nature and can be applied across all borders in the form of governance.

It supports the principle of good governance which is founded on constitutionalism, limited government, check and balance and others.

In Malaysia, various institutions and mechanisms, both formal and informal, and both internal and external, have been instituted with the objective to check and limit the government power.

Several important positions in the country’s governance, starting with the Head of the Nation, the Auditor General, members of the Parliament, the Parliamentary Accounts Committee and others.

Lay persons represented by NGOs, trade unions, co-operative and others need to be more participative in other social activities.

The same applies to the media which are seen as an important mechanism in manifesting the final objective and ambition of the government.

Nonetheless, one has to admit that all these mechanisms also suffer from many limitations.