SERIOUS ATTENTION TO INTEGRITY KEY TO CONFIDENCE AND DEVELOPMENT - FADILLAH

SEPANG, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- All parties must take integrity-related reminders seriously and work together to ensure the country remains clean, as this is fundamental to building confidence, earning respect and advancing national economic development, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

He said integrity goes beyond administration and is crucial to the effective delivery of national development plans and projects for the people.

“We must take these reminders seriously, with all parties playing their part to ensure the country remains clean.

“When a country is clean, people will have confidence in it and respect it. Only then can the economy grow, and more importantly, national development plans and projects will truly benefit the people,” he told reporters here today.

He was commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stern warning that the government can no longer tolerate weaknesses in enforcement and governance that are not addressed seriously.

Anwar said this in his special address to heads of enforcement departments and agencies involved in combating financial crime yesterday.

Fadillah, who is Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said governance and integrity are long-standing priorities and have been central to efforts to transform the country’s administration under the MADANI Government.

He said that although there are small-scale cases of misconduct, they do not reflect the entire public service, which generally upholds integrity and remains committed to its duties.

“The majority uphold integrity and are committed to their work. But even if it seems minor, we must take it seriously so that one bad apple does not spoil the whole barrel,” he told reporters.

Asked about project monitoring measures under the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry (PETRA), Fadillah said existing internal audit mechanisms continue to be strengthened to ensure projects are implemented smoothly and without delays.

“We already have such mechanisms in place. That is why internal audits must play their role. Many of our agencies and divisions have received five-star audit ratings, which show that responsibilities are being carried out well,” he said.

He said improvement measures are also being reinforced through a comprehensive review of audit reports led by Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad, involving all departments and divisions.

Fadillah added that all parties involved are working together to identify ways to further improve procedures and implementation to make them more effective.

-- BERNAMA