KUCHING: The Sarawak government has placed safeguards within the administration to prevent abuse from occurring said chief political secretary to the Premier, Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman.
In rebutting an earlier statement by Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii who suggested more checks and balances and accountability in the running of government-linked companies (GLCs) and agencies in Sarawak, he said this was a non-issue.
“It is therefore perplexing for the Bandar Kuching MP to insinuate that reforms are needed to protect our institutions from being abused and also to somewhat suggest that there are no institutional safeguards in place to prevent abuse from occurring.
“The statement made by the Democratic Action Party (DAP) MP is malicious in its intent which is to cast aspersions whilst trying to paint the state government in a negative light.
“This is given the public interest in the issues that he mentioned of late,” Fazzrudin said in a statement today.
Earlier Dr Yii had urged Sarawak to take lessons in governance given the recent imprisonment of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Fazzrudin said the Sarawak government is serious in tackling corruption and strongly opposes malpractices in governance, having a strong foundation with clear objectives in addressing the issue.
“A number of initiatives have been implemented to make Sarawak one step ahead compared with other states in Malaysia in good governance practices, by establishing the Ombudsman (Unit) as a check-and-balance mechanism, to ensure that public interest would be safeguarded,” he said.
He also reminded the Bandar Kuching MP that the Sarawak government was the first to sign an integrity pledge in Malaysia back in 2015 ahead of other states.
“This pledge has been renewed since. This shows the government’s concern on the issue and its commitment to nip malpractices in the bud.
“We were also the first to create the Integrity and Ombudsman portfolio on May 7, 2017 under the then-Chief Minister’s Department, before the Unit of Integrity and Ombudsman (UNION) was set up in 2018,” he said.
The Tupong assemblyman also said the state government has also appointed a number of Certified Integrity Officers (CeIO) who are placed at various department and agencies throughout the state.
“All these are concerted efforts by the state government to ensure good governance and uphold integrity to the highest,” he said.
Fazzrudin said under the leadership of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg through the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, Sarawak aims to transform its economy through a number of initiatives and development projects in the state.
“It is of utmost importance that these are implemented smoothly and swiftly – without leakages – for the benefit of all Sarawakians”.
