Yahya (left) launching the four application systems when officiating at the ICT seminar.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin yesterday reminded government servants at all levels, including ministers and assistant ministers, not to abuse their powers.
Yahya, who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, said the duty of government servants was to serve the people.
“People will feel cheated if government servants abuse their powers.”
Yahya said the recent case, referring to the alleged misappropriation of funds involving the Sabah Water Department director and deputy director, was shocking.
“Not only the families of those involved suffer humiliation, we Sabahans also feel humiliated.”
He said government servants should perform their duties with integrity and a sense of reasonability so that the public sector could be seen as trustworthy.
At the same time, Yahya also warned government servants not to divulge privileged information to the public as such act would be in violation of the law.
He said this when officiating at an information and communications technology (ICT) seminar for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (Mafi) and its departments and agencies. The theme of the seminar was ‘Transformation of Agriculture Service Towards Smart Government’.
The event also included the launching of four application systems, namely MAFI ISO e-Document ISO, Department of Veterinary Services and Animal Industry website updating system, Sabah Agriculture Institute student application system and a fisheries enforcement database.
Yahya said the smart government concept was a continuity of the implementation of e-Government initiatives and online services in line with the government’s effort to enhance the quality of the state’s public service.
“It is part of the Sabah Computer Services Department’s (JPKN) effort to step up ICT in the state.”
He said the transformation would undeniably change some work process routines but utilising the system consistently would help civil servants manage and analyse data faster as well as generate reports more easily.
He said civil servants should utilise the various transformation initiatives and innovative products and processes in order to step up the performance and services of the ministry through ICT.
Yahya also urged department and agency heads under Mafi and the respective ICT committees to monitor ICT usage among the staff to ensure they make use of the application systems.
He added that civil servants should not use the ICT facilities for YouTube, Facebook or online radio as doing so would affect the network and violate the Sabah state government’s ICT security policy.