Whistleblower Protection Like Bank Loans No Guaranteed Approval

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Whistleblowers seeking protection must adhere to established procedures, like applying for a bank loan, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) M Kulasegaran.
He said this in reminding businessperson Albert Tei that such rules will help authorities determine if whistleblower protection can be given for naming the MACC officer who allegedly warned Tei against exposing the Sabah mining scandal.
Reiterating his call for Tei to lodge a police report against the MACC officer in question, Kulasegaran compared the matter with those requesting a bank loan.
“You cannot just ask for protection - without making a report through proper channels - and assume that it (whistleblower protection) will be granted,” Kulasegaran told Malaysiakini.
ADS“It’s like asking for a bank loan - there’s no guarantee that you will get it, (but) you still have to adhere to set processes.
“He has to provide information to the enforcement agency on the alleged improper conduct first, and then, upon evaluation, they can grant protection in accordance with the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010,” he added.
Kulasegaran said this in responding to a statement by Tei’s lawyer asserting that the businessperson is ready to name the MACC officer if whistleblower protection is immediately conferred upon him “without delay”.
The lawyer, Mahajoth Singh, also disclosed to Malaysiakini that the MACC officer who purportedly cautioned Tei against speaking up is an individual holding a position of high authority.
Lawyer Mahajoth SinghOn Tuesday, Kulasegaran urged Tei to lodge a report with the police and the MACC Complaints Committee, giving the government’s guarantee that strong action will be taken against those responsible if the allegation is proven true.
Earlier, Mahajoth revealed that while the businessperson had approached the MACC with information about a corruption scandal in Sabah, officers from the anti-graft agency warned him against coming forward.
Tei, who later exposed the Sabah mining licence scandal to Malaysiakini, released a series of videos and documents allegedly implicating nine politicians, including the state assembly speaker, whom he claimed accepted bribes in exchange for mining prospecting licences.
On June 30, however, Tei was slapped with corruption charges, accusing him of giving bribes, with the MACC insisting that he could not be afforded protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act as he was supposedly involved in the reported offence. - Mkini

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