By Danial Dzulkifly
KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — The long-standing legal loophole that had severely limited the effectiveness of Malaysia’s whistleblower protection law has finally been closed, Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan said today as Parliament debated amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010.
Debating the Whistleblower Protection (Amendment) Bill 2025, Syahredzan praised the federal government’s political will to reform the law, calling the removal of Section 6(1) of the act an important breakthrough after 15 years of ambiguity.
“The amendment may seem simple, just a deletion of a provision, but its impact is profound. Previously, whistleblowers were only protected if the disclosure didn’t contravene any written law. That meant if they revealed information under the Official Secrets Act (1972) or Section 203 of the Penal Code, they weren’t entitled to protection.
“This effectively disqualified many honest individuals who wanted to report wrongdoing,” he told the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Section 6(1) of the act stated that a person may make a disclosure of improper conduct to any enforcement agency, provided that such disclosure is not specifically prohibited by any written law.
The revised clause now allows disclosures made in the public interest to qualify for legal protection, even if the information in question would otherwise be restricted under secrecy laws.
The Pakatan Harapan lawmaker also welcomed a second key reform allowing authorities to exercise discretion in granting protection to whistleblowers who may themselves be implicated in misconduct, if doing so serves public interest.
In his speech, Syahredzan responded to persistent claims that the government is dragging its feet to enact its reform agenda.
“For those who say there are no reforms, let’s be fair. I’ve debated many reform bills in this House. Just because you didn’t get everything you wanted, doesn’t mean reform isn’t happening.”
