On 30 July 2021, the Chief Secretary to the Government officiated the launching of the National Policy on Good Regulatory Practice (“NPGRP”) issued pursuant to General Circular No. 1/2021. The NPGRP takes effect on 22 June 2021 and repeals the previous General Circular No. 1/2013 in relation to the National Policy on Development and Implementation of Regulations (“NPDIR”).

The virtual launching ceremony of the NPGRP themed ‘Boosting Productivity through Quality Regulation’ marks a regulatory reform milestone and a timely update to the ‘Good Regulatory Practice’ or “GRP” initiative given that it has almost been a decade since the issuance of the NPDIR. At the same time, the policy was also released in a booklet version to be read together with the new Best Practice Regulation Handbook 2.0, which would effectively supersede the Best Practice Regulation Handbook (July 2013) and the Quick Reference Best Practice Regulation Handbook (July 2013).

Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) has prepared a brief comparison of the changes between the NPDIR and the NPGRP as follows:

Source: National Policy on Good Regulatory Practice (NPGRP), ‘Overview of the Changes to the National Policy on Development and Implementation of Regulations (NPDIR)’.

The General Circular No. 1/2021 in relation to the National Policy on Good Regulatory Practice (NPGRP), the booklet version of the NPGRP, and the Best Practice Regulation Handbook 2.0 can be accessed here both in English and Bahasa Malaysia.

If you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact our Partner of the Corporate & Government Advisory Practice, Mohamad Izahar Mohamad Izham of Zaid Ibrahim & Co. (a member of ZICO Law).

This alert is for general information only and is not a substitute for legal advice.