KUALA LUMPUR: Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau has urged the government to amend the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950 to ensure recommendations made by Royal Commissions of Inquiry (RCIs) are implemented until the underlying issues are resolved.
He said the country's biggest challenge was no longer finding the truth through an RCI, but ensuring that its findings were translated into consistent and accountable reforms to the country's governance system.
“The experiences of the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah, the RCI into the death of Teoh Beng Hock and now the RCI into Tabung Haji show that the same experience has been repeated.
“This proves that it is time for the country to strengthen the system,” he said in a statement.
Madius, who is also UPKO honorary president, said this when debating the Royal Commission of Inquiry report on Tabung Haji during a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat here today.
He said the Tabung Haji RCI report, which was completed in 2023, was only tabled in Parliament several years later due to the absence of a clear legal requirement stipulating a timeframe for RCI reports to be tabled in the Dewan.
Madius also proposed the introduction of the Commissions of Enquiry (Implementation of Recommendations and Accountability) (Amendment) Bill to ensure an RCI would only be considered concluded once its recommendations had been translated into actual reforms, rather than ending when its report was submitted to the government.
“I propose that every RCI report be followed by a National Reform Plan detailing the actions required, lead ministries, implementation timelines, financial requirements and key performance indicators for each recommendation, which must also be tabled in Parliament.
“The relevant Parliamentary Special Select Committees should also be given the mandate to monitor the implementation of RCI recommendations periodically and summon the ministries and agencies responsible to provide explanations,” he said.
Citing the experience of the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah, Madius said the Permanent Secretariat recommended by the commission had met only 13 times over more than a decade, despite the issue of illegal immigrants remaining a major challenge for the state.
“This proves that institutional reform must be measured based on the problems that have actually been resolved, rather than the activities carried out.
“Let us ensure that every Royal Commission of Inquiry from now on not only succeeds in finding the truth, but also succeeds in implementing that truth until the country's problems are truly resolved,” he said.
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