Speaking exclusively to FMT, TI-M president Akhbar Satar said no good would come out of the proposal announced by Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali.

Apandi had recently said he was considering amending the OSA so harsher penalties i.e. life imprisonment and 10 strokes of the rotan, could be meted out to whistleblowers who leaked government secrets and journalists whose reports were based on the leaked information.

Malaysia, Akhbar noted, would be taking a step backward if the proposal was realised.

“The world is heading towards the formation of a more transparent civil society with high integrity but the AG wants us to move in a different direction than the rest.”

Public perception was not the only issue the AG should concern himself with, Akhbar said.

Should the OSA actually be amended to include such suggestions, the country would erode the confidence of foreign investors and subsequently make it harder for the government to implement national policies.

“Malaysia’s Corruption Perception Index ranking would also be affected as matters such as this are amongst its evaluation factors.”

According to Akhbar, leaking information classified as national secrets could be dealt with existing provisions under the OSA and hence, it negated the need for the Act to be amended.

“There is no point in amending the laws if the proper procedures required are not adhered to. The present OSA is good enough.”