In a post on X, Zaid Ibrahim said the republic implements a multilevel selection process to appoint its chief commissioner.

He said the Indonesian president appoints a selection panel comprising reputable and long-serving community members, including from the police force.

This panel then invites applicants, including members of the public, to submit their names and their résumés.

After extensive interviews with the applicants, the panel will submit the list of nominees to the president who will then need to obtain consent from Parliament to nominate the chief commissioner of its anti-graft agency.

“Will our prime minister be inclined to take this approach?”

Zaid’s call for the country to take a leaf out of Indonesia’s book follows recent criticism levelled at Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki.

Azam had claimed that insufficient information was hampering MACC’s probe into an alleged mining scandal in Sabah.

Although detractors contend that videos leaked by a purported whistleblower provide enough information to facilitate the probe, Azam said the clips were heavily edited and would be inadmissible in court.

In 2023, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said revealed that the government was reviewing the mechanism involved in the appointment of the MACC chief commissioner.

Azam had previously said he was open to the idea of the appointment coming under the purview of Parliament.