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Though Malaysia’s Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (with amendments in 2025) provides whistleblowers with certain safeguards, these protections only apply when disclosures are made to enforcement agencies and does not extend to internal company disclosures.    As a result, fraud, harassment, bribery, or abuse of power can run rampant in organisations as employees, driven by fear and a lack of confidence in the system, refuse to report offences.  A well-designed Whistleblower Policy changes that, empowering everyone from team members to contractors and suppliers to report wrongdoing safely and confidentially.   Protections under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010   When a whistleblower makes a disclosure of improper conduct to an enforcement agency, they may receive protection under the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010, which include:  For more details, you can refer to an FAQ by the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department.  Drafting effective whistleblower policies  An effective policy will specify the following parts:  How it protects your business  A well-implemented whistleblower policy protects your business in more ways than one:  From policy to culture of integrity  A whistleblower policy is only useful if people know it exists, understand it, and feel confident using it.   That means companies must go beyond just drafting a document, they also need to embed the policy into everyday awareness, and here’s how you can put it into practice:  Convenience  To ensure the policy is easily accessible to all stakeholders, it can be: circulated internally via email included in the employee handbook code of conduct on company website (especially for external vendors or partners) Repeated  Don’t rely on a one-time announcement. Keep the policy visible and fresh in employees’ minds through regular internal communications such as: email reminders team briefings onboarding kits Train Employees  Hold regular briefings or refreshers and make sure employees know: what types of concerns should be reported how the reporting process works what protections they will receive Ready to strengthen your governance?  There’s a reason a whistleblowing is on our shortlist of most important SME governance policies: it helps build workplaces where people feel safe speaking up, and where integrity is more than just a value.  If you would like guidance on drafting or enhancing your Whistleblower Policy, our team is here to support you. Let’s work together to build a workplace where people feel safe speaking up, and where integrity is more than just a value, it’s part of how you operate.