Sarawak Ombudsman isn’t a toothless tiger

THE establishment of the Sarawak Ombudsman is a positive step towards ensuring better government, more efficient and transparent public agencies and improved protection of the rights of the common person.
Ba’ Kelalan assemblyman, Baru Bian said the public is increasingly aware of the rights of citizens, and thus expects and demands a capable, accountable and fair administration.
“Having an impartial body to hear public complaints will go a long way towards building trust in the administration,” he said when debating the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023 at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
Baru opined that an effective Ombudsman is determined by its faithfulness to some international accepted core values in carrying out its duties, for example it being independent, objective and fair.
Unlike the present Federal Government’s Public Complaints Bureau whose reports are not even tabled in Parliament, he said, the Sarawak Ombudsman’s reports shall annually be submitted to the Dewan Undangan Negeri for debate.
The Ombudsman has the power to monitor the implementation of any complaint resolution actions recommended to the public service agency, to determine and specify the time frame within the measure or action recommended to be implemented by the public service agency and further, to report to the State Secretary for any appropriate action if the recommendation is not implemented by the public service agency.
In supporting the Bill, Baru said the Sarawak Ombudsman is not a “toothless tiger” but one with real power and authority.
In addition, it has the statutory function to advise the government on strategies, direction and measures to be adopted for public service agencies to promote principles and practices of good governance, transparency, integrity, accountability and effective or efficient public service delivery system.
He also believed that to achieve such a noble vision, the appointment of members to the Sarawak Ombudsman must be from people of utmost integrity and experience, of which Clause 6 of the Bill provides for the qualifications of the appointment of Ombudsman who must “have substantial experience or expertise in one or more of the following fields and has significant standing and credibility in the fields of law, professional accountancy, public administration relating to the administration of public services or any other expertise or experience which is highly relevant to the effective performance of the functions of the Sarawak Ombudsman.”