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Malaysia strengthens public procurement governance

Treasury Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Finance Johan Mahmood Merican said the ministry has identified numerous irregularities in the government's public procurement bidding process, including tender specifications being tailored to favour certain suppliers.

​Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian Ministry of Finance has affirmed its firm stance on public procurement governance after discovering instances of bid criteria being manipulated to favour certain suppliers in government procurement packages.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Malaysian Statutory Bodies Conference on June 15, Treasury Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of Finance Johan Mahmood Merican said the ministry has identified numerous irregularities in the government's public procurement bidding process, including tender specifications being tailored to favour certain suppliers.

Specifically, some procurement packages appeared competitive, but after financial and technical evaluations, only one company met the requirements because the criteria had been designed to favour that supplier.

He added that Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim has halted direct negotiations for government procurement packages. Currently, almost all public procurement activities in the country are conducted through competitive bidding, yet instances of profiteering still occur.

Johan emphasised that this is not an isolated issue but one that has been monitored and detected by the Ministry of Finance across various agencies, including within the ministry itself. He stressed that Prime Minister Anwar has taken a firm stance on addressing these problems.

The official said the Malaysian government has passed the Government Procurement Bill 2025, thereby strengthening accountability and enforcement measures.

He noted irregularities in public procurement were previously often treated as administrative issues and were difficult to address if the individuals involved had retired. However, under the new law, individuals involved can still be held accountable after leaving office if they are found to have violated regulations./.

VNA
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