KUALA LUMPUR — Civil society groups have called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to immediately establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) or at the very least, an independent panel to investigate allegations involving the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and its Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.
The RCI or panel should be chaired by a respected and eminent figure such as former Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, said the statement which was posted by reforms group Bersih on social media.
“The Cabinet’s decision on 13 February to establish an executive-level ad hoc committee, with a scope limited only to Azam Baki’s shareholdings in publicly listed companies, without addressing allegations of MACC collusion in economic extortion, demonstrates extremely poor judgment and fails to reflect the seriousness of the allegations.
“The fact that the committee is chaired by Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, who before this was involved in the decision to drop charges against Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, only raises public cynicism that this ad hoc investigation will end with ‘No Further Action’,” the statement said.
The 48 groups and eight individuals who signed the statement also said that stakeholders representing diverse segments of society should also be allowed to participate in the probe.
“The findings must be made public as the matter involves the public interest,” they added.
Azam should be made to go on leave during the investigation, and comprehensive reforms of the MACC must be undertaken, they also said.
A Parliamentary Select Committee should develop a reform roadmap for the MACC before the end of this year that includes an appointment process for the MACC chief that is free from executive control but subject to parliamentary scrutiny, they suggested.
“Anger over corruption and unequal enforcement of laws — with one standard for the powerful and another for ordinary citizens — will unite Malaysians across the political spectrum, both on the streets and at the ballot box,” said the statement.
Signatories included groups such as Suara Rakyat Malaysia, G25 Malaysia, North-South Initiative, Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, Rasuah Busters, IKRAM, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, and the All Women’s Action Society.
Individuals who signed it included former Umno leader Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar , publisher Datuk Hussamuddin Yaacub, Prof. Emeritus Edmund Terence Gomez and former Malaysia Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
Recently, there have been calls for Azam to step down from his post following a Bloomberg report alleging that he owned shares in a financial services firm beyond the limit allowed to civil servants. Bloomberg also published a second report alleging that MACC colluded with businessmen to pressure corporate rivals.
Azam is slated to complete his third extended tenure of service this May. He has been serving as chief commissioner on one-year contract extensions since his term ended in 2022. – February 20, 2026