Good governance crucial in achieving corporate integrity — Hamid Bugo
KUCHING: There are no cutting corners, quickie returns or flyby-night operations that can hold up to integrity values.
Integrity Institute of Malaysia ( IIM) board member Tan Sri Datuk Amar Hamid Bugo stressed this during the ‘Integrity Forum 2017’ event at Pustaka Negeri here yesterday.
The seminar, conducted by the Sarawak State Library Integrity Committee, gathered some 400 local civil servants.
The morning session, themed ‘Making Integrity a Culture in the Community’, was moderated by Pustaka Negeri Library Service Sector head Japri Bujang Masli and featured four speakers.
Hamid – also Sarawak State Library Management Board chairman – was first up with his presentation on ‘Achieving Corporate Integrity’.
“When doing business, we must assume that it is for the long-term. To ensure business is sustainable, we must have characteristics like reliability, quality, consistency, timing and trust,” he said.
According to Hamid, to achieve corporate integrity, there has to be good governance consisting of accurate and timely disclosure of all material matters regarding the corporation, strategic guidance and effective monitoring of management by the board, as well as the board’s accountability to the company and stakeholders.
“There needs to be checks and balances, as well as an effective and efficient delivery system because time is costly,” he said.
Meanwhile IIM president and chief executive officer Datuk Dr Anis Yusal pointed out that integrity is doing what is right ‘when no one is looking’.
“But first, we must ask ourselves – why is integrity important?” he said.
In his presentation ‘Civil Servants’ Role in Strengthening Integrity’, Anis compared Malaysia to both the lowest and top ranking countries in terms of the Human Development Report 2015, the Global Peace Index and the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2016.
“What happens when corruption is a way of life? Politicians use money to win votes, civil servants take the opportunity to get rich, businesses stoop to dishonest tactics to get projects, religious leaders make forbidden things acceptable, enforcement agencies close one eye, society is oppressed, and youths view corrupted leaders as role models.”
Agencies such as IIM or Malaysia Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC) would be shut down for causing trouble, stressed Anis.
“The country will be in chaos. Who will want to do business in a country like that? Some countries have already achieved this state,” he said, listing Somalia, Zimbabwe and Myanmar as countries mired in problems.
“In summary, your roles as civil servants in strengthening integrity are to not accept bribes, not abuse your power, not take what doesn’t belong to you, not break the rules and not fall to temptations,” he said.
The other speakers were Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Tun Abang Salahuddin Islamic Centre director Dr Abdul Halim Busari who delivered ‘An Appreciation of Integrity: An Educational Perspective’; and MACC Sarawak senior assistant commissioner Zulhairy Zaidel who delivered a presentation on ‘ Enforcement and Prevention of Corruption in Malaysia: Challenges and Obstacles’.