MahWengKwai & Associates (“MWKA”) believes that, as a firm and as individuals, we have a responsibility to give back to the community through our various CSR programmes. Much forethought and careful planning are given to our CSR events as we strive to respond to the needs of our local community with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of the people we are reaching out to.
Our most effective and inspiring CSR activity in 2018 was supporting the Institutional Reforms Committee (“IRC”) by creating and managing the IRC’s official website (http://www.reforms.my/) and by seconding one of our associates to assist the IRC with its hearings and meetings.
The IRC was established by the Council of Eminent Persons on 15.5.2018. On 21.5.2018, the IRC called on members of the public and stakeholders to submit their proposals for institutional reforms to the IRC. This was the first time the public was called on to have their say and MWKA strongly believed in giving the public a voice and making the IRC as accessible as possible to the Malaysian public. To this end, MWKA proposed to sponsor, create and manage the IRC’s official website to publicise information on the IRC and to receive electronic submissions from the public. The IRC gladly accepted MWKA’s proposal.
The website was managed by the MWKA team who ensured that the latest Press Statements made by the IRC and news on the IRC’s work were uploaded to the website. The team also attended to the translation of the website and press releases with the object of making the website available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil.
The response to the website was overwhelming. Within the first day of the website’s launch, MWKA received almost 100 submissions. By the end of July, around 580 submissions were received through the website. This represents about half of the total 1,000 submissions received by the IRC.
Additionally, MWKA seconded Ms Anis Mohd Sohaimi to the IRC to assist the IRC with its hearings and meetings. This link between MWKA and the IRC allowed the recommendations submitted through the website to be promptly brought to the IRC’s attention and considered during the research and drafting of the IRC’s proposals for institutional reforms.
By mid-July 2018, the IRC completed its report and had submitted the same to the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. However, the report has remained confidential and has yet to be made public. Members of the IRC, including the firm’s founder, Dato’ Mah Weng Kwai has urged the Government to make the report public. The firm will continue to strive to allow the public to be involved in making the country a better place.
For more information on the IRC, please see the list of news articles below:
15 May 2018
- Council of eminent persons forms committee on institutional reforms (New Straits Times) [PDF]
- Committee on institutional reforms formed (Malaysiakini) [PDF]
- New Malaysia committee to look into institutional reforms (The Straits Times) [PDF]
- Mohamed Arshad: Too early to say what my role will be in IRC (The Star Online) [PDF]
- Government forms committee for institutional reforms (updated) (The Sun Daily) [PDF]
- Malaysia forms new committee to look into institutional reforms (Channel News Asia) [PDF]
- Malaysia forms committee to assist economic reforms (XinHuaNet) [PDF]
- Ambiga, Shad Saleem members of newly formed Institutional Reforms Committee (Malay Mail) [PDF]
16 May 2018
- IRC to examine judiciary, police, AGC, MACC and EC (The Star Online) [PDF]
- IRC to examine and fix several important institutions in the country (New Straits Times) [PDF]
- IRC to find flaws in system (The Star Online) [PDF]
- Formation on Committee on Institutional Reforms is a Step in the Right Direction (Malay Mail) [PDF]
- IDEAS welcome formation of the committee on institutional reforms (IDEAS) [PDF]
- Committee on Institutional Reforms to submit first recommendations in two months (The Sun Daily) [PDF]
17 May 2018
- New reforms committee to restore order (The Malaysian Reserve) [PDF]
- Racial stereotypes have no place in new Malaysia, reforms committee member tells Perkasa (Malay Mail) [PDF]
- Committee on institutional reforms to submit first recommendations in two months (The Borneo Post) [PDF]
- Reform committee identifies key institutions on its list (The Star Online) [PDF]
21 May 2018
- Committee on Institutional Reforms accepting complaints from people, groups (The Star Online) [PDF]
- Reforms committee invite public to submit representations (Malaysiakini) [PDF]
22 May 2018
- Daim: “I want to complete task before first 100 days and leave” (The Star Online) [PDF]
- Transparency must be the new mantra (The Star Online) [PDF]
- Institutional reforms committee invite public feedback (The Malaysian Reserve) [PDF]
- Institutional reform committee invites written representations from public (The Edge Markets) [PDF]
- Institutional reform panel to accept grievances from Malaysians (The Star Online) [PDF]
23 May 2018
24 May 2018
- Open letter to the Institutional Reforms Committee (Malaysiakini) [PDF]
31 May 2018
- G25 moots separation of powers for PM, MACC, AGC in meet with reforms committee (The Malay Mail) [PDF]
1 June 2018
4 June 2018
- New law needed to protect human rights defenders, reforms committee told (The Malaysian Insight) [PDF]
13 June 2018
- Reform panel to hold two more meetings (Free Malaysia Today) [PDF]
- Urgency for reforms greater than ever (The Malaysian Insight) [PDF]
19 June 2018
- Institutional Reforms Committee to submit final report soon (New Straits Times) [PDF]
- Institutional Reforms Committee submits seven immediate proposals (Malay Mail) [PDF]
- IRC makes seven recommendations on institutional reform (Updated) (The Sun Daily) [PDF]
- CEP Gets Seven Immediate Recommendations on Institutional Reform (The Malaysia Times) [PDF]
- Reform committee recommends revamping EAIC (Free Malaysia Today) [PDF]
20 June 2018
- IRC starts with seven proposals (Star Online) [PDF]
- Seven immediate recommendations on institutional reforms submitted to CEP (The Borneo Post) [PDF]
26 June 2018
- Reforms committee weeding out corruption in all its forms, says Mah Weng Kwai (The Malaysian Insight) [PDF]
27 June 2018
2 July 2018
- Senior lawyer: Shake-up a welcome change for now (The Star Online) [PDF]
16 July 2018
- CEP to hear committee findings today (The Star Online) [PDF]
17 July 2018
- Institutional Reforms Committee to brief CEP on final recommendations this week (Malay Mail) [PDF]
- Police, media among 8 key sectors for reforms, says Putrajaya committee (Free Malaysia Today) [PDF]
7 August 2018
9 May 2019
- Institutional Reform: Rebuilding of the nation must not be delayed (The Edge Markets) [PDF]
16 September 2019
- Limits of institutional reforms (The Malaysian Insight) [PDF]
17 November 2019
- IRC Report – why the secrecy? (The Sun Daily) [PDF]
8 January 2020
- Complaints committee to monitor 20 enforcement agencies (Borneo Post Online) [PDF]
20 January 2020
- Transparency the key to trust (The Sun Daily) [PDF]
25 March 2020
- Institutional Reforms Committee to submit final report soon [NSTTV] (New Straits Times) [PDF]
