| Short Title: | Official Secrets Act 1972 |
| Legislature: | Parliament of Malaysia |
| Long Title: | An Act to revise and consolidate the law relating to the protection of official secrets. |
| Citation: | Act 88 |
| Territorial Extent: | Malaysia |
| Enacted By: | Dewan Rakyat |
| Date Passed: | 14 August 1972 |
| Enacted By2: | Dewan Negara |
| Date Passed2: | 5 September 1972 |
| Royal Assent: | 26 September 1972 |
| Date Commenced: | 30 September 1972 |
| Date Effective: | 1 October 1972 |
| Bill: | Official Secrets Bill 1972 |
| Bill Citation: | D.R. 38/1972 |
| Introduced By: | Mohamed Yaacob, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs |
| 1St Reading: | 8 August 1972 |
| 2Nd Reading: | 11 August 1972 |
| 3Rd Reading: | 14 August 1972 |
| Bill2: | Official Secrets Bill 1972 |
| Bill Citation2: | D.R. 38/1972 |
| Introduced By2: | Mohamed Yaacob, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs |
| 1St Reading2: | 4 September 1972 |
| 2Nd Reading2: | 5 September 1972 |
| 3Rd Reading2: | 5 September 1972 |
| Amends: | Finance Companies Act 1969 [Act 6] |
| Amended By: | Banking Act 1973 [Act 102] Bank Simpanan Nasional Act 1974 [Act 146] Malaysian Currency (Ringgit) Act 1975 [Act 160] Criminal Procedure (Amendment and Extension) Act 1976 [Act A324] Banking and Borrowing Companies (Amendment) Act 1979 [Act A454] Official Secrets (Amendment) Act 1984 [Act A573] Official Secrets (Amendment) Act 1986 [Act A660] Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 [Act 372] |
| Related Legislation: | Official Secrets Ordinance 1950 of the States of Malaya [F.M. 15 of 1950] Official Secrets Ordinance of Sabah [Cap. 90] Official Secrets Acts 1911 and 1920 of the United Kingdom Official Secrets Ordinance of Sarawak [Cap. 63] |
| Keywords: | Classified information, confidential, official secret, restricted, secret, top secret, espionage, informant |
| Status: | In force |
The Official Secrets Act 1972 (Malay: Akta Rahsia Rasmi 1972, abbreviated OSA), is a statute in Malaysia prohibiting the dissemination of information classified as an official secret. The legislation is based on the Official Secrets Act of the United Kingdom. After criticism of the act for lacking clarity, it was amended in 1986.[1]
The act defines an "official secret" as:
The Schedule to the Act covers "Cabinet documents, records of decisions and deliberations including those of Cabinet committees", as well as similar documents for state executive councils. It also includes "documents concerning national security, defence and international relations".
The act has been criticised for ostensibly stifling dissent and reducing transparency in government workings. One statesman has suggested that the act has turned the press into "an alternative Government Gazette". In addition, the usage of the act to classify documents which "cannot by any stretch of the imagination be reasonably confidential or secret" has been criticised.[1]
The Official Secrets Act 1972, in its current form (1 January 2006), consists of 31 sections and 1 schedule (including 9 amendments), without separate Part.