00:00Sarawak DAP Chairman Chong Chiang-Zhen has accused the state government of dragging its feet
00:06through prolonged delays and a lack of transparency in presenting a report from the Ombudsman Unit.
00:12I think the state government is just a plain lip service to the notion of integrity,
00:20to the system of ombudsman, to be an oversight to the state government's administration.
00:27He questioned whether any real work was being done, adding that transparency was crucial,
00:33especially since the chairman of the state's Public Accounts Committee was from the ruling party.
00:37In November 2023, Sarawak became the first state in Malaysia to have an Ombudsman Law
00:43after the Sarawak Ombudsman Bill 2023 was passed at the State Legislative Assembly.
00:48A year later, Sarawak's Deputy Integrity and Ombudsman Minister, Juanda Jaya,
00:52said the Ombudsman Unit is only expected to present its first report in the State Assembly in 2025.
01:00But Chong, who is also the Padungan State Assemblyman, said the process has been very slow,
01:05noting that no hearings have been held so far.
01:08He said although the state government seemed to be giving the appearance of promoting
01:12transparency and accountability, there is no genuine oversight of the state administration.
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