Encouraging Factors for Whistleblowing in Public Sector: Malaysian Case Evidence (original) (raw)
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Purpose: Whistleblowing is an important factor in preventing corruption and fraud in organizations. There is a law to promote whistleblowing practices, but the negative subsequent effect of whistleblowing demotivates the reporting of unethical behaviours. Thus, it is important to identify the factors that motivate an employee to exercise whistleblowing in an organization. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether the personal factor of job satisfaction and organizational factors such as fair treatment as well as cooperativeness contribute to the whistleblowing practice in an organization. Design/methodology/approach: This study collected primary data based on a questionnaire survey from 73 respondents of the seven top most GLCs in Malaysia. The data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and cross-sectional regression. Findings: The findings of the study reveal that only fair treatment is statistically significant and positively related to the whistleblowing practice. The findings imply that if employees perceive that the organization provides fair treatment in terms of career advancement, awards, training, performance appraisal, job assignment, and pay increases, they would tend to report wrongdoing activities to protect the image of the organization. Practical implications - The findings of the study will help the policy makers to ensure better working environment and accountability in the public sector of Malaysia and other similar countries. Originality/value – This is an original study based on primary data to examine the current practices of whistleblowing and its relationship with the practices of job satisfaction, fair treatment, and cooperativeness in the government linked companies of Malaysia.
Effective Whistle-Blowing Mechanisms in the Public Sector
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 2018
The objective of this paper is to investigate effective whistle-blowing mechanisms in the public sector. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. It collected data from both primary and secondary sources. A total of 700 questionnaires were administered out of which 672 were retrieved. These were used for analysis, employing simple random technique together with simple frequency table, Pearson's correlation coefficient and descriptive statistics. The findings of the study show that: there is a significant relationship between whistle blowing mechanism and performance in the public sector and internal whistle-blowing mechanisms should be encouraged. The study recommends that those who are charged with responsibility in public sector should promote the system, procedures and culture of whistle blowing mechanisms, and strengthen internal reporting mechanism. This would enhance government to achieve her mission and objectives. The study concludes that whistle blowing mechanisms should be encouraged and relevant Acts should be applied judiciously.
Whistle-Blowing in Public Sector Organizations: Evidence From Pakistan
The American Review of Public Administration, 2011
The purpose of this study is to investigate the contributory factors that affect the whistle-blowing process in public sector organizations of Pakistan. Previous studies reveal that a perception of apathy and likely retaliation by the management, peers, and employees at large creates a culture within organizations that negatively affects whistle-blowing. Data were collected from 1,762 employees working in various public sector organizations of Pakistan through a questionnaire. Frequency tables were used to analyze the data. Results suggest that in Pakistan a number of factors, such as culture and organizational retaliation, affect the whistle-blowing process. It also highlights that some unique culturally induced factors contribute toward the employees' perception and practice of whistle-blowing in their organizations. Results are explained in light of Hofstede's cultural indices, which indicate that whistle-blowing is culture bound.
Exploring a Model of Whistle Blowing System for Malaysian Municipal Council
International Journal of Financial Research, 2020
A municipal council is one of the local authorities established under the auspice of Malaysian local government. The objective is to deliver services to a community under its jurisdiction in a sustainable manner, but evidences indicated that the service qualities have deteriorated due to numerous malpractices. The malpractices could be prevented should any of the insiders who witness the incidences whistle blow to those who have power to act. However, not many are willing to report for fear of reprisal, retaliation and even life threatening. Despite that a whistleblowing system is established to encourage whistleblowing, such system has yet to be formed in any of Malaysian municipal councils. Intrigued with the issue, the objective of this study is to explore a model of whistle blowing system for a Malaysian municipal council. A hermeneutic phenomenography study was conducted in which data were gathered through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The participants consisted of four top management and sixty officials from a Malaysian municipal council. Data were analyzed qualitatively using Nvivo 14 and triangulated with other source of documents. The findings from emergent themes proposed a model of the whistleblowing system that consisted of four elements namely protection, internal control policies, incentives and ethical culture. This discovery provides useful insights to policy makers, relevant authorities, and academic fraternities of the model of whistle blowing system that will alleviate malpractices and thus elevate the transparency, efficiency and integrity of the municipal council to the fullest.
WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION IN MALAYSIA
Whistleblowers play an important role in exposing wrongdoing. However, from past examples, whistleblowers are usually at the losing end, getting little to nil benefit and attracting a lot of troubles for themselves. To encourage and facilitate whistleblowing of improper conduct in Malaysia, the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 was enacted. This research first examines the history of the creation of the Act and an analysis of its provisions. Next the researcher analyses United Kingdom's whistleblowing legislation and make a comparison between Malaysian and the English laws on whistleblowing. The Whistleblower Protection Act is also reviewed in relation to other laws in Malaysia.
It’s Not Enough to Speak, But to Speak True: Revisiting the Whistleblower Protection Law in Malaysia
Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2022
This research analyses the gaps and weaknesses in the existing legislative framework for whistleblower protection in Malaysia. The study found two main issues in the Malaysian Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 dealing with the disclosure of wrongdoings. They are the limited disclosure channel and an act of disclosure of information is an offence under other legislation. The protection for whistleblowers becomes vulnerable with the current restraints. Whistleblowing has significantly become one of the critical requirements in society as a medium to curb corruption. By analysing the weaknesses of this Act, the research contributes to the body of knowledge and plays a critical role in proposing to the policymakers for advocating some enhancement in the future for the sake of a whistleblower's safety. The research adopts doctrinal and qualitative methodology. A content analysis through analytical legal approach is employed by examining the Malaysian existing law. A brief reference analysis is conducted on the United Kingdom Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 and the Employment Act 1996. Thus, salient improvements of law provisions are recommended to better regulate the existing laws in Malaysia. The findings demonstrate the need for practical strength of amendments to protect the whistleblower due to unpredictable consequences. To date, potential whistleblowers are discouraged from disclosing information if the system is incapable of protecting them from fearing a backlash against them. The proposals suggested changes to the legislation to provide a good practice of guidance in handling concerns of wrongdoings. Contribution/Originality: This study contributes to the existing literature in examining the weaknesses of the WPA 2010 and proposes legislative amendments to enhance the protection of whistleblowers. The main improvement of widening the disclosure channel is strongly suggested to the relevant authority in the hope to change the whistleblower's landscape dealing with wrongdoings.
Information Management and Business Review
The objective of this study is to determine the factors influencing whistleblowing intention among public sector employees. This study utilized the Theory of Prosocial Behavior which includes contextual determinants (policy and procedure, training, responsiveness of management, reporting channel, financial reward, seriousness level of wrongdoing) and individual determinants (knowledge, trust) as independent variables while whistle blowing intention is the dependent variable. Additionally, this study also includes gender as a moderating variable in the relationship between the contextual and individual determinants toward whistleblowing intention. The data was collected from 123 public sector employees in the northern region of Malaysia (Perlis, Kedah, Penang) from various ministries via an online survey questionnaire and analyzed using SmartPLS. This study found that there is a significant relationship between all independent variables and whistleblowing intention, except for the re...
Encouraging Whistle Blowing to Improve Corporate Governance? A Malaysian Initiative
Journal of Business Ethics, 2013
This article reviews if the introduction of new laws to encourage and protect whistleblowers is sufficient to improve corporate governance in Malaysian public-listed companies. It provides suggestions to formulate internal whistle-blowing policies for companies. It concludes that due to the culture of the people and the taxonomy of Malaysian public-listed companies and companies in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, having laws to encourage and protect whistleblowers to get rid of corporate wrong-doings is not necessarily the only solution. The article defines whistle blowing and the benefits of encouraging whistleblowers. It proceeds to highlight the issues of concern on whistle blowing. It also deliberates particular issues of whistleblowing in Malaysia by discussing the taxonomy of Malaysian public-listed companies, the strength of the regulators in enforcement, the Malaysian culture, and the Malaysian corporate scandals. The article elaborates on the whistle-blowing laws in Malaysia and concludes by providing alternate ways to encourage whistle blowing in Malaysian companies having in mind the taxonomy of Malaysian companies, enforcement by regulators and the Malaysian culture. Keywords Accounting practices Á Whistle blowing Á Political connections and donations to political parties Á Anti-bribery enforcement Á Corporate compliance programmes For those who argue that employees owe strict loyalty to the company, whistle blowing seems to be an act of extreme disloyalty. It puts at risk the reputation of the firm. But this seems to be based on a narrow view of loyalty as if it demands that we do whatever the company or another individual believes to be in their best interest…Loyalty cannot imply that we should not report the unethical conduct of others… This may imply for an employee that he or she is most loyal when trying to prevent something that could lead to harm for customers, shareholders, or the general public. If there is no proper response internally, or if by the nature of the case, it is not possible to find an internal remedy, then it would seem ethically correct to blow the whistle. In fact, sometimes there can be a duty to do so. It would be obligatory for an employee to blow the whistle when the level of harm to others is serious, and the employee has clear evidence of the unethical practice that has led to this. This could, for example, be in terms of product safety or severe financial hardship for others. Michael Walsh, ''Whistle blowing: betrayal or public duty?,'' http://www.erc.org.au.