FORESTRY DEPT RECOGNISED FOR STRONG INTEGRITY, GOVERNANCE UNDER SPINE

PEKAN, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- The Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia (JPSM) has been recognised for excellence under the Integrity and Governance Management System (SPINE), achieving a top rating of 92.37 per cent.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the score reflects a high level of integrity, noting that marks above 85 per cent are classified as excellent, scores below 85 per cent are moderate, and those under 60 per cent require immediate corrective measures.

He made the remarks to reporters after officiating the Forestry Integrity Colloquium at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Convention Centre here today.

Introduced by the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM), SPINE provides a structured framework to manage integrity risks, strengthen internal controls, and enhance compliance and transparency in decision-making.

The system, developed using local expertise, enables organisations and government departments to independently assess their integrity health and has been piloted in 14 departments, including JPSM.

Shamsul Azri said the government is considering making SPINE mandatory for all departments and agencies to ensure integrity levels are systematically assessed and reinforced.

“Without knowing the current level of integrity, we cannot determine how deeply integrity is embedded within an organisation,” he said.

At the same event, he launched JPSM’s Organisational Anti-Corruption Plan (PROPER) 2026–2030, aligned with the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) 2019–2023 and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2024–2028.

The plan aims to ensure corruption-free and sustainable tropical forest management through structured risk assessments focusing on corruption, integrity, and governance.

-- BERNAMA