He said the bill is a vital step to building public trust and encouraging informed participation in the country’s democracy.

“We will bring this law to Parliament by the end of the year so that the public can hold us to account. These reforms reflect our holistic and determined approach to building strong, fair and transparent institutions that serve all Malaysians with integrity,” he told reporters earlier today.

Anwar said the government is also in the process of amending the Whistleblower Protection Act to provide broader and more meaningful safeguards.

“This includes removing previous exclusions that limited protection and establishing an independent Whistleblower Protection Committee to ensure effective implementation,” he said.

Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the two bills had been drafted and might be tabled by the next parliamentary meeting (in October). “Everything is on track,” she said.

In July last year, then deputy law minister M Kula Segaran said the Freedom of Information Bill would grant all Malaysians access to information on any ministry or government agency.

However, information on personal data, matters that threaten national security, defence and diplomatic relations would be excluded.