BY JACINTHA JOLENE
KUCHING: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) has joined nationwide efforts to combat corruption by reaffirming its pledge not to commit corrupt acts and create a corruption-free environment.
The pledge, included in its Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (OACP) and Corruption Risk Management (CRM) plan unveiled in conjunction with the board’s Integrity Day, is also extended to its interaction with its business partners and the government.
STB signed the Declaration of Corruption-Free Pledge with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at a ceremony held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Monday (Jan 24).
The ceremony was formalised by STB chief executive officer Sharzede Salleh Askor and witnessed by MACC representatives.
The pledge is a promise made voluntarily by the board to show its responsibilities in conducting its duties and activities ethically, and signifies its employees’ commitment against corruption.
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who was present at the ceremony, said a clean business environment in the tourism industry will help develop the country’s economy and paint a better future.
“The tourism industry is important to Sarawak’s economy as it is one of the main contributors to the state’s economic growth.
“This is crucial for our state to be able to entice investors to have joint ventures and form strategic partnerships in developing the tourism industry,” he said.
Earlier, Sharzede said the pledge and the launching of the anti-corruption plan marked an important milestone for STB, and at the same time turning STB into a high-performance entity, free of corrupt practices and abuse of power.
“STB is committed to the highest level of integrity, transparency and good governance in the conduct of its operations.
“The event reiterates our fight against all forms of corruption at all levels, as we believe it is the collective duty and responsibility of all members of society, particularly those serving in government agencies, to achieve a nation free from all forms of corruption and abuse of power,” she said.
The OACP is a five-year plan aimed at strengthening governance, integrity and anti-corruption controls which reflects the stance and the spirit of STB, and is in line with the government’s call to make it mandatory for statutory bodies to develop their respective OACP over a five-year period from 2021 to 2025.
Meanwhile, the CRM is a management process that helps in corruption prevention initiatives and focuses on analysing root causes, identifying corruption schemes, determining its impact on the organisation and its risk treatment plans.
