KUCHING: The family, as the most basic unit of society, is responsible for the formation of good attitudes and values in each of its members.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah stressed this at the closing ceremony of the Family Integrity Webinar 2021 held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday (Oct 12).
Her text of speech was presented by Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Rosey Yunus.
Fatimah added that cultivation of such values must be done from an early stage, that is, from the home.
“In this regard, parents are the main characters in the family and they are responsible for providing a good ecosystem for all family members by displaying positive behaviour, respect, and trust among fellow family members, as well as instilling the value of integrity continuously,” she said.
The minister emphasised that integrity in the family was also the foundation of community harmony.
“For instance, concern in ensuring that residential areas are clean and being responsible towards the disposal of waste will build cooperation between residents in ensuring the cleanliness of the neighbourhood.
“It will also increase understanding and tolerance and maintain harmony in society,” she said.
As for civil servants, Fatimah said integrity was the main value of six shared values of the Sarawak Public Service, forming the basis for building a high-performance work culture and delivering world-class services to the people.
“Civil servants with integrity are responsible for their duties and are honest, trustworthy and free from corrupt practices and the abuse of power,” she said.
As such, she said the Family Integrity Webinar 2021 was an excellent effort to raise awareness of the importance of integrity-based identity and the practice of integrity by individuals, families, and the society.
“Our hope is that the involvement of the family in the formation of integrity in each of its members will produce a prosperous family institution and, in turn, make integrity as a culture and life practice in society.
“Hopefully, the goal of making Sarawak a state with integrity will be realised together,” she said.
Fatimah noted that a total of 1,000 participants attended the webinar. They comprised state civil servants, staff of state statutory bodies, local authorities and members of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“Integrity is a holistic value and is closely tied to personalities, practices and behaviours, attitudes, actions, and the way we perform our daily tasks as well as our relationships with other individuals,” she said.
The minister said practising integrity would also give rise to admirable values such as trustworthiness, truthfulness, sincerity, openness, transparency and adherence to principles.
