KUCHING: The Sarawak civil service has been reminded to practise the highest standards of integrity and morality now that the government has set in place all the Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP)’s strategic initiatives.
Minister of Local Government, Housing and Public Health Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the state had actually been actively promoting integrity to civil servants in the past three years, proof that the government was seriousness in its commitment towards the Integrity Programme.
“It is very important as Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has been charting our Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to make Sarawak the most prosperous state and it is crucial to maintain integrity in managing Sarawak’s wealth.
“Through this Integrity Programme, we hope it will help to reduce cases of misappropriation of public funds, abuse of resources and reduce public complaints.
“We should build our integrity as we embark on our mission to becoming the richest state in Malaysia instead of starting to look at integrity only when we are rich,” Dr Sim said in his speech during his ministry’s Integrity Day 2022 here yesterday (June 15).
Sarawak has made it mandatory for all state agencies, ministries and local councils to formulate their own OACPs, and Dr Sim announced that his ministry’s OACP 2021-2025 initiatives for agencies under its jurisdiction, namely Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Sewerage Service Department, Kuching South City Council, Miri City Council, Padawan Municipal Council, Sibu Municipal Council, Kota Samarahan Municipal Council, Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and 19 other local authorities (PBTs) have been developed.
“Based on a report from State Integrity and Ombudsman Unit, it was reported that 89 OACPs have been completed by various Sarawak ministries and agencies, including PBTs.
“I am glad to know that a total of 21 integrity officers from 19 PBTs, along with the integrity officers from all the agencies under my ministry, submitted their names to attend the Certified Integrity Officer (CelO) programme last month.
“I am hopeful that with this excellent response we are moving in the right direction to fight corruption to its core,” Dr Sim, who is a deputy premier, said.
Meanwhile, ministry permanent secretary Datuk Antonio Kahti Galis concurred with Dr Sim’s sentiment that the Integrity Day was an ongoing effort by the ministry to inculcate a high sense of integrity among officers in the ministry, agencies and PBTs and make it a way of life in the workplace and personal life.
Antonio advised the agencies and PBTs to improve their complaint channels which should be accessible by every staff as well as other parties.
“We would like to encourage more whistle-blowers to come forward and report any acts of corruption with full confidence and without fear or any risk of stress,” he said.
