Uphold integrity to gain trust, NREB staff told
KUCHING: High integrity is the way to go to gain trust from the public and project developers towards the Natural Resource and Environment Board ( NREB).
NREB deputy chairman Datu Len Talif Salleh, who made this call, said integrity, which is taken to mean honesty, trustworthiness and equality, was one of the six Sarawak Public Service Shared Values that needed to be understood and practised by all civil servants.
In addition, he said, integrity could also take an organisation to greater heights of achievements.
Len, who is also Assistant Environment Minister, said integrity did not mean only to stay away from bribery, abuse of power and misappropriation of funds because it also relates to high personal values.
“Integrity issues are always highlighted in the mass media, and many cases involved civil servants who face lawsuits involving bribes, abuse of power and misappropriation of funds.
“The Malaysia Anti- Corruption Commission’s ( MACC) statistics showed that receiving bribery is the top offence by enforcement officers at 93.3 per cent, followed by abuse of power at 3.3 per cent and 3.4 per cent for others from 2009 to September this year,” said Len at the NREB Integrity and Innovation Day 2013 and NREB Sarawak Integrity Plan 2013 to 2017 ( PINS) launching yesterday.
“As an enforcement agency, NREB cares about the importance of integrity as a practice and work culture and we do not want one officer’s wrongdoings to tarnish the image of the entire agency.”
Len stressed that innovation and integrity cultures needed to be inculcated in all staff, and that it was not a “seasonal thing”.
On the inaugural NREB Integrity and Innovation Day 2013, Len said it showed that the board was committed in shaping and making integrity and innovation a culture among the staff.
Also present were NREB controller Peter Sawal, deputy environment controller Jiram Sidu and senior assistant controller Justine Jok Jau.