KUCHING, Sept 21 — Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah has called on heads of departments and divisions under the ministry to be firm and and not tolerate any employee who are involved in corruption while carrying out their duties.

Abdul Karim said every serious act of corruption involving the ministry’s employees regardless of rank, position and status must be reported to the top management and relevant authorities.

He believed that it was equally important to inculcate the integrity culture among the employees in order to strengthen integrity in every organisation because that is the basis in delivering quality services to the community and the parties that were dealing with the ministry.

"Whether we realise or not, honesty, trust and integrity are actually the intrinsic values ​​that are the backbone and peg of economic progress.

"In business for example, an honest and trustworthy trader will gain the trust of the customers who bought the goods sold and indeed the customers will continue to buy from the trader that has integrity,” Abdul Karim said at Integrity Day and launch of Organisation Anti-Corruption Plan workshop (OACP) here today.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports as an effort to provide exposure to the staff on OACP for the period 2021-2025, which should be cultured comprehensively and consistently.

Abdul Karim said every civil servant too must perform their duties in honesty, trust and high integrity at all times and not easily fall into the problem of breach of trust by taking any form of bribes from outsiders.

He believed it was very important for Sarawak to have a group of civil servants who have high appreciation and practice of integrity values ​​to ensure the development goals of the state and nation could be achieved efficiently and effectively.

He cautioned that an organisation would not be perfect in its administration without focusing on good governance, transparency and at the same time produce efficient work.

"It is our shared responsibility to strengthen and cultivate the practice of integrity in all aspects of life to ensure that Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole will always be supported by members of civil society who have high self-integrity,” he said.

Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Snowdan Lawan and Youth and Sports permanent secretary Nancy Jolhi were among those present at the event. — Borneo Post