Sarawak Governor Receives Courtesy Visit From JKPK

KUCHING: Sarawak Governor Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Fauziah Mohd Sanusi received a courtesy visit from the Special Select Committee on Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (JKPK) at the Astana Negeri Sarawak, on Wednesday.

The visit, led by JKPK Chairman Senator Dato' Setia Salehuddin Saidin, was held in conjunction with the committee's working visit to Sarawak over four days to review and study the implementation of governance, integrity and work procedures in several government agencies.

According to Dato' Setia Salehuddin, Sarawak was chosen as the location of the visit to enable the JKPK to personally see the implementation and challenges faced by agencies in terms of governance and integrity.

He said, among the locations that were given attention was the Kuching International Airport (KIA), particularly in reviewing the entry and exit process of individuals as well as the procedures implemented to prevent breaches and illegal entry.

"We had the opportunity to visit KIA to examine the process of entry and exit of an individual from the airport, and the process of how it is implemented, is it possible to prevent breaches, illegal entry and so on," he said when met.

In addition, he said that JKPK is also scheduled to hold a meeting with the Sarawak Ombudsman.

He said the visit to the Sarawak Ombudsman was crucial to enable the committee to examine the effectiveness of the institution in strengthening governance and integrity.

He added that the proposal for the establishment of an Ombudsman in Malaysia had also been studied by the committee through visits to several countries including Hong Kong.

"We feel that the Ombudsman should be established in Malaysia as an independent body that can examine the governance and integrity of government departments.

"The proposal has been brought to the Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim and I understand the possibility that the Ombudsman bill will be presented in Parliament for approval," he said.

In the meantime, the meeting with Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi who once served as the President of Dewan Negara also touched upon the need to update existing laws and regulations, particularly in relation to the establishment of a Departmental Special Select Committee.

According to Dato' Setia Salehuddin, the committee’s role was to study and provide better recommendations on issues related to governance and integrity in departments and ministries. -UKASnews

Prepared By: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Photo: Shahril Haqim
Translator: Nerissa Sia