By Thenesh Anbalagan and Ng Sze Fung
Malaysia is entering a new phase of information governance. The Data Sharing Act 2025 provides a legal framework for federal agencies to exchange data, while the Statistics Bill 2026, passed by the Dewan Rakyat in July 2026, seeks to modernise the production and coordination of official statistics. The Freedom of Information Bill 2026 has now been introduced in Parliament and referred to a parliamentary Special Select Committee for further scrutiny. Together, these developments reflect a welcome effort to improve how public institutions produce, share, publish and use information.
The reforms nevertheless address different dimensions of the information-governance system. The Data Sharing Act principally facilitates the movement of information within the Federal Government. The Statistics Bill strengthens the quality, coordination and governance of official statistics. The FOI Bill would add the missing public-access dimension by providing an enforceable right to obtain information held by public authorities. The reform task should not end with the passage of the FOI Bill. Malaysia should align these three laws with its open data policies through an integrated framework in which non-sensitive information is proactively published in accessible and reusable formats, government systems are interoperable, secrecy is confined by clear harm-based tests, and refusals are subject to independent review.
Such a framework would strengthen transparency and accountability while also improving the capacity of government. Better access to reliable data can reduce duplicated collection, fragmented digital applications and delays in public service delivery; support more targeted labour-market and social policies; and allow researchers, businesses, civil society and citizens to participate more meaningfully in policymaking and nation-building. The Special Select Committee process provides a timely opportunity to ensure that the FOI Bill complements the Data Sharing Act 2025, the Statistics Bill 2026 and the broader development of an open information-governance architecture for Malaysia.