SHAH ALAM, Nov 24 — Selangor is taking steps toward becoming an open government by enhancing public access to project information, with the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) online dashboard an early example of the state’s commitment to greater transparency.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said making RS-1 project updates public not only gives the general public greater access to information, but also enables researchers and the Opposition to assess the government’s efficiency.
However, the state still faces several limitations in disclosing more information on government projects and spending, especially when such details involve private companies.
"These include Federal laws that govern or restrict some of our actions, like the Official Secrets Act 1972 (OSA).
"State laws like the Freedom of Information (FOI) Enactment 2011 cannot supersede the OSA. This is the principle we must respect," he said in response to Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran during the State Legislative Assembly session today.
Rajiv had asked if the state government is prepared to implement further administrative reforms by making the information of all government projects and spending accessible to the public, similar to the practice in countries like the United States.
He said that doing so would allow better scrutiny on the types of projects being implemented and details of the appointed contractors, among others.
In response, Amirudin said that other than the OSA, the state government must also be cautious not to share information that could be in violation of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), warning that disclosure would raise various issues.
"Yes, we want the public to know who is responsible. Questions are often raised, for example, whether certain parties have links or networks that give them repeated access (to projects).
"But we also have to consider risks of sabotage and the need to protect company secrets, which we cannot disclose. Because when it comes to personal data protection, I believe there must be certain limits.
"However, details such as when a contract is awarded, when it is completed, or why an extension of time (EOT) is granted are matters we can highlight in the future, and we have already begun doing so through the RS-1 dashboard,” he said.
Amirudin added that at present, most of requests made by the public through the FOI Enactment involve a person's marital status, and are not related to government projects.
