Sarawak Civil Service Strengthens Governance Through Direct Reporting To CeIO
KUCHING: The governance system of the Sarawak Civil Service has been strengthened through the implementation of a new reporting mechanism that requires all Certified Integrity Officers (CeIOs) to report directly to the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (UNIONS), thus increasing transparency and effectiveness in the management of non-compliance issues.
Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki said that this approach allows every non-compliance issue to be identified and dealt with more transparently, in addition to reinforcing the culture of integrity within the organisation.
“I have instructed that CeIOs must report directly to UNIONS, not just to the head of department. UNIONS will report directly to me to ensure that any non-compliance issues can be corrected.
“As the Head of the Sarawak Civil Service, I will always support efforts to ensure that integrity is institutionalised as an organisational culture. We must serve as an example to other colleagues and work as a team because integrity is crucial to ensure that every action taken meets the needs of the people and provides the best level of service,” he said.
He said this when officiating the Closing Ceremony of the Sarawak CeIO Summit 2026 at Damai Beach Resort, on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar explained that efforts to strengthen integrity must be implemented comprehensively through more effective reporting mechanisms, in addition to strengthening the internal audit function to ensure that every policy, procedure and work practice consistently complies with the regulations set.
He also called on all Sarawak Civil Service employees to embrace the 3R approach, namely Revisit, Rethink and Recharge, to ensure that policies, guidelines and work procedures are always relevant to technological developments, including artificial intelligence (AI), as well as increasing the people's expectations of the government delivery system.
Also present at the programme were Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya, Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Administration) Datu Felicia Tan and UNIONS Director Wan Muhammad Wan Rahman. -UKASnews
Prepared By: Lonney Jinab
Photo: Muhd Zulfadli
Translator: Nerissa Sia
