Have you ever wanted to report someone for a disciplinary or criminal offence (“improper conduct”) but hesitated because you feared reprisal?
Then you may not have heard of the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010. This piece of law protects a whistleblower against civil / criminal action, intimidation / harassment, interference with your business or employment (e.g. demotion or termination). The Act also protects your personal information from being revealed to the wrongdoer.
There are two important conditions though. First, you must report the improper conduct to a government enforcement authority – not to your friend, an NGO or the media. Second, you must not have obtained the information (that is being disclosed) illegally e.g. information classified as government secrets.
See: High Court decision in Rokiah Binti Mhd Noor v Minister of Domestic Trade, Co Operatives & Consumerism & Ors and Another Appeal [2016] MLJU 1765
