KUCHING: Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) has been recognised as among the most well-managed state economic development corporations in the country by the Auditor-General (AG).
Its chairman Datuk Talib Zulipilp said as recognition of SEDC’s outstanding management practice, the AG had granted the corporation audit-free status for the next three years.
“We have been recognised (by the AG). They (AG) said there is no need for them to audit SEDC for the next three years.
“Many organisations from all over the country had been sent to SEDC to study our financial and corporate system,” he said at SEDC’s Integrity Day which was officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem here yesterday.
Talib, who is also Assistant Tourism Minister, attributed SEDC’s success to its honest and hardworking staff, adding that it had been a culture in the corporation that “we don’t just listen to the talk; we walk the talk”.
Commenting on the Integrity Day campaign, he said it was launched 18 years ago on Jan 6, 1996 by then deputy state secretary, the late Datuk Taha Ariffin.
The objectives of the Integrity Day are to celebrate and recognise everyone for their support as well as contribution to SEDC’s integrity journey; to share SEDC’s experience in developing its culture of integrity and to learn from others new ideas and initiatives that SEDC can adopt to further enhance or add value to its integrity programme.
“When we first started, there was no model to follow and very few people believed in integrity and not many people talked about it, It was a lot of trial and error (for SEDC to achieve the success today).”
For SEDC, Talib said integrity starts with the management setting the tone and commitment, adding it is the commitment that provides the ‘fertiliser’ for integrity to grow and flourish.
“We believe that integrity in isolation is useless. It cannot exist in a vacuum. For it to have meaning, it should and must be integrated into the mainstream of management itself which requires concerted and continuous efforts.”
While acknowledging that SEDC is not perfect and there are bound to be ‘wrinkles’ here and there, Talib reiterated that SEDC would not be complacent and would continue to nourish its ‘Tree of Integrity’ because its journey did not stop here.
Besides having a good corporate governance system, he said SEDC’s integrity initiatives had also borne fruit when it was conferred the Malaysian Business Ethics Excellence Award in Nov, 2008 for ethical business practices and maintained four-star rating since 2009 in the accountability index.
During the function, SEDC also presented integrity awards to 28 recipients. They were recognised for their honesty, integrity and personality, punctuality habit, overall work performance and achievements relating to integrity.
Activities held in conjunction with the Integrity Day included an integrity talk titled ‘Where Should Integrity Reside?’ presented by SEDC board member Datuk Ismail Hashim and an integrity exhibition held by SEDC, police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), Chief Minister’s Office Discipline and Integrity Section and Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation.