Asian Supply Base first GLC to sign corruption-free pledge
LABUAN: Sabah government's investment arm Asian Supply Base Sdn Bhd (ASB) continues its strong commitment towards a culture of integrity by signing a corruption-free pledge (IBR) yesterday, the first governmentlinked company (GLC) here to support the initiative.
Led by its chief executive officer Datuk Harris Annuar Tan, more than 100 of ASB's management team and senior executives and officers recited the pledge witnessed by Labuan Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director ACP Abdulamin Abdillah.
Harris said the signing of the pledge was a follow through initiative after the previous signing of the Corporate Integrity Pledge (CIP) in 2013.
“We felt this pledge is needed to help us strengthen our commitment and our fighting spirit against corruption and power abuse within our organisation,” he told a press conference after the pledge programme at the ASB headquarters here yesterday.
Harris said the pledge was also in line with the newly-formed Pakatan Harapan government's aspiration led by the Prime Minster Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to eliminate corruption in the country.
“We have decided (that) all the more than 1, 000 ASB personnel will raise their hands for the pledge in stages beginning next week from one department to another and witnessed by MACC officers,” he said.
Harris said the pledge was important to show international companies that corruption was ‘a big no-no' in ASB business operation activities.
“I hope our employees will continue to put integrity enhancement agenda as a priority in carrying out their work and our officers must also be alert to their warning signs and other symptoms related to corruption so that necessary action can be taken,” he added.
Abdillah said those who had taken the pledge must take it wholeheartedly and not treat it as a masquerade.
“We don't want the IBR to become a drama, whereby you pledge today, the following days you commit corruption and in the end, you will only embarrass yourself, the agency and your family,” he said.
He commended ASB's commitment to be a corruption free organisation and being the first GLC in Labuan to sign the pledge.
Abdillah added that the fight against corruption was not the exclusive responsibility of the MACC alone, but rather a mandate and task to be shared by the whole society.
He said a total of 73 government agencies and a GLC had so far taken the pledge since last year.