Dewan Rakyat passes Competition Bill amendments to strengthen enforcement against anti-competitive practices and tech-driven cartel activities.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat today passed the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2026 with amendments at the committee stage.
The bill was passed by a majority voice vote after Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali tabled a minor amendment to Clause 22.
He said the amendment was made to correct a typographical error in paragraph (f) relating to a reference to the subsection which has been renumbered.
On Thursday, 18 MPs took part in the debate on the bill, which was subsequently passed at the policy stage.
The Competition (Amendment) Bill 2026 seeks to strengthen enforcement against anti-competitive practices in response to the growing use of technology in cartel activities and the abuse of dominant market positions.
The 34-clause bill also seeks to amend Section 24 by introducing a criminal offence for attempting to destroy, conceal, mutilate or alter records and data to obstruct investigations by the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC).
Meanwhile, when tabling the Malaysia Competition Commission (Amendment) Bill 2026 for its second reading, Armizan said the administrative functions and scope of powers of the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) would be strengthened and streamlined.
He said following the Dewan Rakyat’s passage of the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2026 today, further amendments to the Competition Commission Act 2010 are required to ensure the country’s competition law framework can be implemented and enforced comprehensively.
“This amendment is not intended to expand MyCC’s powers without limit. Rather, it seeks to streamline the mandate entrusted to the commission by the government in line with its current administrative requirements, as well as the increasingly complex challenges in enforcement and investigations,” he said.
Armizan said the act, which came into force in 2011, established MyCC as a federal statutory body responsible for enforcing the Competition Act 2010, conducting investigations and determining whether breaches of the prohibitions under the act have occurred.
He said a clearer and more structured administrative framework would enable MyCC to carry out its responsibilities more efficiently, responsively and effectively in enforcing competition law in Malaysia.
Among the key amendments proposed is the renaming of the Competition Commission to the Malaysia Competition Commission, in line with the naming convention adopted by other statutory bodies in the country.
The amendments also clarify MyCC’s role in advising the minister, as well as relevant authorities and regulatory bodies, on competition policies, procedures and programmes.
Armizan said the proposed amendment to Section 17 would empower MyCC to impose financial penalties, late payment charges, and administrative fees and charges relating to the discharge of its functions and services.
“In addition, the bill introduces a new provision allowing the commission to delegate certain functions and powers to its chairman, officers or employees, subject to prescribed conditions,” he said.
He said the amendments also cover the procedures for appointing investigating officers, expand the scope of confidentiality obligations to include matters related to the Competition (Amendment) Act 2026, and provide for consequential and transitional provisions arising from the renaming of the Competition Commission as the Malaysia Competition Commission.
