WITH the mission to realise Brunei Darussalam as a corruption free nation and pioneer integrity and good governance in the public service as outlined in the vision and mission of the Anti-Corruption’s Strategic Planning 2010-2014, the Anti-Corruption Bureau held a seminar yesterday at the Rizqun Hotel, Gadong.
In his welcoming remarks, Acting Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, Awang Ang Swee Kiang, stated that the seminar is one of the bureau’s initiatives in raising awareness as well as to instill the culture of integrity amongst officers and staff working in the Public Service.

According to Ang Swee Kiang, among the projects of the five-year strategic plan, that was introduced earlier this year, included working with education institutions to educate primary and secondary students on the values of honesty, reliability and sincerity. The aim of reaching out to the younger generation is to ensure that students will be equipped with proper ethics once they venture into the public service or private sector.

“It is hoped that they will become the country’s assets and carry the integrity in developing the nation.” Realising that results from educating students will only be seen in the distant future, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, in May 2009, established the Integrity and Good Governance Centre to “plan for the promotion and increasing awareness on the importance of integrity and good governance in the Public Service”.

“The seminar reflects the bureau’s initiatives,” said Ang Swee Kiang and revealed that there are plans to reach out to the private sector in a bid to establish further cooperation dubbed as the “Public Private Partnership” to combat corruption.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau invited two lecturers from Malaysia to present working papers and share their experiences in improving the integrity in the Public Service.

First speaker was Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Dato Abu Kassim Mohamed who spoke on “Building Integrity in Public Sector Organisations” followed by Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh’s, President of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity, who spoke on “National Integrity Plan: Initiative Towards an Integrated Nation”.

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