Parliament passes bill to overhaul 60-year-old statistics law

KUALA LUMPUR - The passage of the Statistics Bill 2026 in parliament today reflects the government's commitment to developing a more coordinated, credible, and responsive national statistical system, according to the Ministry of Economy.

The approval of the bill will strengthen evidence-based policymaking, improve public service delivery, and enhance national development planning.

Minister of Economy Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said that the Statistics Bill 2026 is not merely an update to existing legislation, but a significant step toward strengthening the country's ability to produce official statistics that are coordinated, high-quality, and trustworthy. "Good data must lead to more accurate policies, more effective public services, and tangible benefits for the people," he said in a statement today.

Earlier, Akmal Nasrullah tabled the bill, which was subsequently passed by a majority voice vote after being debated by 21 members of parliament.

The Statistics Bill 2026, passed by the Dewan Rakyat today, will replace the Statistics Act 1965 [Act 415], which has served as the legal foundation for the country's statistical system for more than 60 years.

The 22-clause bill outlines, among other things, the functions of the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the establishment of the National Statistics Council, procedures for data collection and data requests, the publication and communication of statistics, the protection of confidentiality and the repeal of the Statistics Act 1965.

At the same time, the bill does not take over or alter the jurisdiction of ministries and agencies. Instead, each ministry and agency will remain the owner of its administrative data, the authority for its respective data domain, and the lead agency for sectoral statistics within its area of responsibility.

The Statistics Bill 2026 was drafted following a policy review conducted since 2016 and seven rounds of stakeholder engagement involving ministries, government departments, state governments, local authorities, academic institutions, industry players, and the private sector. Its development also took into account international statistical standards, global best practices, and recent developments in the data ecosystem. - BERNAMA