No shielding policy for civil servants

Daily Express

6 days ago

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.
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