Putrajaya: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has put forward six recommendations to the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) aimed at enhancing the governance of financial management and the distribution of maintenance aid for non-Muslim houses of worship.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, these recommendations were presented by the Negeri Sembilan MACC to Zulkeflee Sulaiman, the Deputy Secretary-General (Housing and Community Wellbeing) of KPKT. He represented KPKT Secretary-General Datuk Dr. M Noor Azman Taib at a presentation session in Putrajaya. The MACC emphasized the necessity of refining KPKT's guidelines, particularly by mandating that every non-Muslim house of worship be registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) or a legally recognized organization in line with relevant religious laws.

The MACC's proposal includes granting extensions for project implementation deadlines only under exceptional circumstances, alongside introducing a specific procedure for the return of unutilized funds or in cases where a non-Muslim house of worship breaches its application conditions. This initiative is part of a governance investigation by the Negeri Sembilan MACC after uncovering cases of RIBIs failing to execute maintenance projects despite receiving funding from KPKT.

To bolster monitoring efforts, the fourth and fifth recommendations suggest the implementation of a more detailed repair works form and a physical site inspection report form to be completed by the Technical Team, supplemented by photographs from site visits. The sixth recommendation calls for the inclusion of a declaration section under Section 18 of the MACC Act 2009, requiring applicants to confirm the accuracy and compliance of all documents and information submitted by the RIBI with applicable regulations.

Zulkeflee Sulaiman welcomed the six recommendations, recognizing them as a step towards reinforcing integrity, governance, and internal controls. During the session, he expressed his agreement to implement the recommendations and signed the Governance Improvement Report, with Negeri Sembilan MACC director Awgkok Ahmad Taufik Putra Awg Ismail as a witness.