By Christopher Lidom
KUCHING, April 6: Integrity in the civil service will improve the ease of doing business and increase the confidence of investors in Sarawak, says Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn
Sagah, who is Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development, said it would also solidify Sarawak’s position as an investment destination of choice for foreign investors.
“This requires the cooperation of all levels and groups in the society to maintain integrity, to achieve our mission to become the richest state in Malaysia.
“Since Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has been charting the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to make Sarawak the most prosperous region, it is very important to maintain integrity in managing Sarawak’s resources and wealth,” he said when officiating at ‘Program Jelajah Integriti Siri 7/2023 Daerah Serian’ held at a local hotel in Serian today.
Sagah said everyone, especially community leaders and civil servants, needs to be more responsible in dealing with corruption in a systematic and comprehensive manner.
He also said that civil servants are a group at high risk of corruption, especially for those involved in the decision-making and procurement.
“As such, I hope that the Integrity Unit in government agencies and Certified Integrity Officers (CeIOs) play a greater role in cultivating integrity both within government agencies and in the community,” he added.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Premier’s Department (Ombudsman and Integrity) Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya said 166 CeIOs from the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (Unions) will be deployed to various departments, divisions, and government-affiliated companies in the near future.
He said it is to ensure integrity, transparency and good governance will continue to be practised by civil servants in Sarawak.
“Recently, the Sarawak government decided that all financial reports and expenditure estimates from statutory bodies and local authorities should be submitted to the Special Cabinet Committee under Unions for review and comment before being sent to the cabinet,” he said.
Also present at the programme were Deputy Minister for Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Martin Ben, Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus and Serian District Officer Lim Hock Meng. — DayakDaily
