Malaysia’s Dewan Rakyat passed the Competition (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Competition Commission (Amendment) Bill 2026 on July 6 by majority voice vote after debates involving 12 to 18 MPs from both government and opposition parties [1, 2].

The 34-clause amendments aim to enhance enforcement against anti-competitive practices by expanding the Malaysia Competition Commission’s (MyCC) powers in investigations, market reviews, and policy advice [1, 3, 4, 2]. They clarify MyCC’s authority to levy financial penalties and late payment charges under the Competition Act and allow it to delegate some powers to its chairman, committees, officers, or employees to improve operational efficiency [3, 4, 5, 2].

A key addition is a new criminal offence for deliberately destroying, concealing, mutilating or altering records to obstruct MyCC investigations, amending Section 24 of the Competition Act [1, 6]. The Commission’s name is also changed to the Malaysia Competition Commission to better reflect its national role [5].

Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the amendments are not intended to expand MyCC’s powers without limit but to "streamline the mandate entrusted to the commission in line with its current administrative requirements, as well as the increasingly complex challenges in enforcement and investigations" [1]. He added the goal is to help MyCC function more effectively in ensuring a fair market amid complex cartel activities and that "with the power to require information, future reviews will be more comprehensive and holistic" [3].

Since 2011, MyCC has completed eight market reviews, including one on the digital economy, but the amendments seek to improve access to information during future reviews [3, 4]. Opposition MPs expressed concerns about potential abuse of the expanded powers, urging clear guidelines to protect small businesses. Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) said, "If the profits gained from breaking the law are much higher than the penalties imposed, then the law will not deter anyone" and stressed distinguishing between large cartels and smaller offenders [2].

MP Lee Jien Chong called for the reforms to be a starting point for independent investigations into anti-competitive practices in sectors like private hospital charges and airport procurement, warning that the commission needs sufficient powers, resources, and independence to act early before significant losses occur [7].

The Competition (Amendment) Bill also fixes a typographical error relating to a renumbered subsection in Clause 22 paragraph (f) [1, 3, 4, 6].

Debated on July 2 before final passage, the bills reflect efforts to update the 2010 Competition Act enforcement after 15 years, responding to growing challenges in cartel activities and abuses of dominant market positions in Malaysia [1, 5, 2].