Chief Secretary: Don’t blame all 1.1mil civil servants

Sabah Water Department an isolated case, while almost all other public servants have integrity, says Ali Hamsa.

PUTRAJAYA: The public should not regard all the 1.16 million civil servants in the country as corrupt because of the malpractices of a few individuals, says the Chief Secretary to the Government, Ali Hamsa.

Ali said the Sabah Water Department case was an isolated one while almost all the other public servants had integrity.

The department’s director and deputy director were recently arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for investigations into corruption involving RM3.3 billion in federal allocations.

Ali said the government conducted programmes to raise the integrity of its officers and staff from the time they enter service. They were also always reminded, be they at the top posts or at the lowest grades, to uphold integrity.

“We have 1.16 million public servants and almost all of them have integrity, so the (recent) arrest should not imply involvement (in corruption) by all public servants,” he told reporters.

Last week, the MACC announced the seizure of a total of RM52 million in cash and valuables, luxury items and property valued at RM62 million from the two senior officers.