KUCHING: The Sarawak government has taken various steps to address corruption in the civil service.
This is in line with the goal of upholding integrity and sustaining good corporate governance practices in tandem with its vision into becoming a developed and high-income state by 2030.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said towards this end, the state government has embarked on various corruption prevention measures and establish a mechanism to ensure public interests are safeguarded.
Among the measures are establishing an Internal Audit Unit under the State Financial Secretary Office, setting up of the Integrity and Ombudsman Unit, as well as mandatory requirement for all agencies to have an integrity unit and at least one Certified Integrity Officer (CeIO).
He disclosed that from 2010 to 2021, a total of 1,806 CeIOs were trained, 79 of them outside Malaysia.
“We trust that these measures will instill public confidence and allow smooth implementation of various government projects. Therefore, it prides me to mention that Sarawak has built a strong foundation with clear objectives in addressing corruption, governance and integrity.”
He said this when officiating at the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Integrity Day 2022 at Riverside Majestic Hotel today.
Abang Johari said attention and focus must be given on the key issues that relate to integrity and good governance.
While much progress has been achieved in the area of integrity and good governance, he reminded that integrity was a fluid concept where what might seem harmless today may not be acceptable tomorrow.
He pointed out that history has shown that integrity issue could destroy a society and has always been known to be the main factor that leads to the downfall of many governments since the ancient civilization.
“Even today, we see many governments toppled when its people could not condone the controversial corruption scandals anymore.
“Given the high and lasting cost that lack of good governance can inflict on a nation, we must be unrelenting in our efforts to make further advances in this area. I would like to make a renewed call to continue in establishing clear guidelines for strengthening integrity and to strictly adhere to these guidelines,” he said.
The Premier reiterated that accountable and transparent governance is an important milestone on the path to creating the most prosperous and productive economies that allow individuals, businesses and government to create the highest possible standard of living for the largest possible number of people.
“In this case, serving and giving Sarawak the best because Sarawak and its people deserve the best,” he added.
