logo
Be neutral when carrying out duties, government staff told

Be neutral when carrying out duties, government staff told

Daily Express6 hours ago
Published on: Thursday, July 03, 2025
Published on: Thu, Jul 03, 2025 Text Size: Hajiji urged all department heads to demonstrate strong commitment in carrying out their responsibilities. Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor hoped civil servants will continue to uphold the principles of professionalism, neutrality and integrity in carrying out their duties during this election year. 'We are facing the State Elections this year. As the backbone of the State Government administration, civil servants must ensure that all administrative affairs and service delivery to the people are not disrupted and continue to run smoothly as usual. 'The efficiency and transparency of civil servants in facing this challenging period will reflect our commitment to continue supporting the democratic system and stability of the state administration,' he said after the post-Cabinet meeting at Menara Kinabalu, Wednesday. Hajiji urged all department heads to demonstrate strong commitment in carrying out their responsibilities. They must carry out their duties with greater efficiency and accuracy, as well as monitor projects more effectively, to ensure all approved projects are completed within schedule. 'This is crucial to avoid having to deal with delays in execution, wastage of resources and jeopardising reputation and public trust in the capabilities of the Government's administrative machinery,' he said. He reminded them to be always responsive, proactive and to practise good governance in carrying out their duties in order to provide the best services to the people. 'Civil servants must carry out their responsibilities with trust, transparency and a strong sense of accountability. They must avoid conflicts of interest so that the State Government's goals and objectives can be successfully achieved. 'The interest of the Government is always more important than personal interest,' he said. Hajiji also reminded civil servants to always uphold personal integrity and make it a core value in their character. 'Without high personal integrity the consequences to the image of the public and the entire State Government institution would be severe,' he said. Meanwhile, Hajiji said four bills would be tabled during the two-day State Assembly sitting, beginning Monday. The Chief Minister's Department will table two bills: the Forestry Bill (Amendment 2025) and the Climate and Carbon Governance 2025 Bill. The other two would be tabled by the Finance Ministry - the State Sales Tax Bill (Amendment 2025) and the Supplementary Supply Bill 2025. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Two children among five injured in Russia's air attack on Odesa, Ukraine says
Two children among five injured in Russia's air attack on Odesa, Ukraine says

The Star

time20 minutes ago

  • The Star

Two children among five injured in Russia's air attack on Odesa, Ukraine says

A view shows an apartment building hit by Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine July 3, 2025. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via REUTERS (Reuters) -Five people were injured, including a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, in a Russian attack on the southern Ukraine port of Odesa overnight, Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday. A multi-storey residential building and other civilian infrastructure were damaged, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app. Six apartments were completely destroyed, another 36 were partially damaged, he said. "The children, who were poisoned by combustion products, were hospitalized," Kiper said. The other three injured people, all adults, received medical aid on the site. The full scale of the attack was not immediately known. There was no immediate comment from Russia about the attack. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their strikes during the war that Russia launched against Ukraine more than three years ago. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine posted on its Facebook page photos showing rescuers carrying children in the dark out of a multi-storey apartment building on fire and firefighters fighting the blaze. The Service said that 50 people were evacuated from the building. The fire has been extinguished since, Kiper said. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Impractical to revive GST now, says Amir Hamzah
Impractical to revive GST now, says Amir Hamzah

Daily Express

time26 minutes ago

  • Daily Express

Impractical to revive GST now, says Amir Hamzah

Published on: Thursday, July 03, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 03, 2025 By: Elill Easwaran, FMT Text Size: Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said reviving the GST would take at least two years and have a wider economic impact. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA: Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan says the government has ruled out reintroducing the goods and services tax (GST) for now, calling it 'impracticable' under current economic conditions. He said established and new businesses have 'moved on' to alternative tax structures since the GST was zero-rated in 2018. As a result, a full reinstatement of the GST would likely take at least two years, he added. Speaking as a guest on the Keluar Sekejap podcast, Amir said the government has never disputed the merits of the GST system. However, he said Putrajaya was of the view that it cannot be reintroduced as it 'not suitable for now'. 'The GST is broad-based. It will affect everyone,' he said. 'Companies like the GST because of the input-output tax mechanism: what they charge, they can claim back. But, in the end, the burden falls on the people.' Amir said the government was of the view that tax reform must be pragmatic and compatible with Malaysia's current economic structure. 'When we impose a tax, we need to ask: is the revenue we get worth the effort?' he added. Podcast co-host Khairy Jamaluddin said Amir's explanation was acceptable, noting that the minister was not making the case that the sales and service tax (SST) was inherently better that the GST regime. Last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Putrajaya would consider bringing back the tax scheme when the economy improves and the minimum wage reaches RM4,000 or more. For now, the government has expanded the SST to cover more items, with a 5% to 10% tax on non-essential goods and added service tax on rent, construction, financial services, and private healthcare and education. On the distribution of government aid, Amir drew comparisons between the unity government's Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid schemes and the 1Malaysia People's Aid or BR1M during Najib Razak's time. He said BR1M had reached RM1,200 at most, while the maximum amount of cash aid a household can receive under STR and SARA is RM4,600. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia

No shielding policy for civil servants
No shielding policy for civil servants

Daily Express

timean hour ago

  • Daily Express

No shielding policy for civil servants

Published on: Thursday, July 03, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jul 03, 2025 By: Sisca Humphrey Text Size: Rosli, Hashim and invited guests in a group photo with participants at SICC. Kota Kinabalu: Integrity must remain a core principle in the civil service to maintain public trust in government institutions, said Sabah Federal Secretary Datuk Seri Rosli Isa. He said the Federal Government spends over RM17 billion annually on salaries for federal civil servants in Sabah alone. 'That figure alone reflects the scale and importance of the civil service. With it comes the duty to carry out responsibilities with honesty and full accountability,' he said when officiating the Seminar on Integrity Governance: The Core of Public Service at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), here on Wednesday. He also noted that Sabah has over 126,000 civil servants across federal and state levels, with more than 27,000 serving under the State Government. 'With such a large public sector workforce, it is crucial that integrity is upheld at all levels to ensure the system functions efficiently and public trust is maintained,' he said. Rosli said integrity goes beyond avoiding corruption, and includes upholding values and moral strength, especially when faced with internal and external pressures. He stressed that civil servants must not be protected from investigation if misconduct occurs. 'If an offence has been committed, the authorities must be allowed to take appropriate action. Our role is to foster a culture of ethics and responsibility,' he said. He also cautioned against assuming that isolated cases reflect the conduct of the entire civil service, saying such assumptions risk demoralising those who remain committed to doing their jobs well. The seminar was jointly organised by the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) and Intan Sabah Regional Campus, drawing over 800 participants from Federal and State agencies. Sedia Chief Executive Datuk Seri Hashim Paijan said the programme aimed to strengthen awareness of governance and integrity among public officers. 'We've implemented our own Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan at Sedia. Seminars like this reinforce our commitment to transparency and ethical conduct in all government operations,' he said. Also present were Sabah MACC Director Datuk S. Karunanithy, Deputy Director of State Audit Khairul Anuar Amat Johari, heads of departments and invited panel speakers. The event also featured a session by a former offender convicted of corruption, who shared his personal experience as a lesson on the consequences of unethical behaviour. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store