KUCHING: Sarawak has become the first state in the world to establish direct cooperation with the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) to enhance its integrity management capacity through training programmes and the sharing of international expertise.

Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier's Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Dr Juanda Jaya said the collaboration between the Sarawak Government, through the Sarawak Integrity and Ombudsman Unit (UNIONS), the Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE) and the Leadership Institute, and IACA, which is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, aims to strengthen the integrity, ombudsman and anti-corruption agenda in the state.

"Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg has explained that Sarawak is constantly striving to enhance its programmes related to integrity, the ombudsman and anti-corruption, including establishing systems to ensure that administration and management in Sarawak meet international standards.

"We are proud that IACA from Vienna has extended its cooperation to the Sarawak Government to ensure that the aspiration of the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to make Sarawak a developed state with high integrity can be achieved," he said.

He said this at a press conference after paying a courtesy visit on the Sarawak Premier at Kompleks Satria Pertiwi here on Tuesday.

He added that IACA has international expertise in education and research that can help Sarawak strengthen its administrative and management systems to achieve international standards.

According to him, the four-day Sarawak Regional Governance Leadership Programme (SRGLP), which is currently underway, focuses on training Certified Integrity Officers (CeIO), with the cooperation to be extended to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and government-linked companies (GLCs) subsequently.

Meanwhile, Advisor to the Malaysian Association of Anti-Corruption Management System Practitioners, Tan Sri Dato Setia Abu Kassim Mohamed, said the collaboration between IACA and the Sarawak Government is a significant milestone in IACA's history, given the state's direct involvement in efforts to enhance integrity management capacity.

Tan Sri Abu Kassim, who was involved in the establishment of IACA and served as its Vice President, said the four-day training programme brought together international experts to share their expertise and experiences.

He said the programme also introduced the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in integrity management to CeIOs for the first time.

"This is something to be proud of because we are moving in line with international trends. In fact, it has been proven that the use of AI in integrity management has a clear and effective impact," he said.

Also present at the visit were Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Sarawak Attorney-General Dato Sri Saferi Ali, UNIONS Director Wan Mohamad Wan Drahman, IACA Dean Drago Kos and other dignitaries. -UKASnews

Prepared by: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Photos: Hazrin Sunaini
Translator: Uilson Ng