KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 -- The Malaysian government must introduce an ombudsman without delay to protect whistleblowers who raise the alarm on corruption, crimes or misconduct, experts and civil society groups have said.

In a statement dated yesterday, these subject matter experts and civil society groups welcomed the government's recent tabling of amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act (WPA) 2010 in the Dewan Rakyat, but said it should be improved.

"While the move is timely and necessary, the proposed reforms remain incomplete and require urgent refinement to ensure meaningful protection and long-term institutional integrity," they said in a statement.

The statement was signed by 13 partners to the All-Party Parliamentary Group ...