Corruption and indiscipline linked to negative values

Bandar Seri Begawan - The number of corruption-related complaints and investigations involving government officers and employees in the civil service has shown a worrying trend. There is also a "trend" in "routine offences" under the Financial Regulations (FR) and General Orders (GO).

Dato Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Wahab bin Juned, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office said, "as far as things related to productivity in the civil service, we must honestly admit that there are still problems among the workers (in the civil service), some of these problems are endemic".

He was speaking at the opening of the 18th Executive Development Programme for Senior Government Officers (EDPSGO) at ILIA Lecture Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

For example, in relation to staff attendance in the civil service, the government cannot entirely depend on the attendance management system because behind these problems are less positive Values of workers which need to be handled personally and regularly, he said.

"Those who committed these offences did not value their work and (did not) respect the regulations including on attendance.

"Two more serious disciplinary offences in the civil services are the misuse of power and the misuse of drugs. These two diseases are very dangerous and can threaten the strength of the civil service," he said.

He said this illustrates "our weaknesses" which were not a result of inadequate system and institutional development or inadequate knowledge of the best management practices or inadequate number of trained officers and staff.

He said some of the issues that involve personal elements are already well known such as the (local) mentality of "makan gaji" or salaried jobs with the government.

"Let's all focus on the development of our own self-identity as Bruneians under the concept of Malay Islamic Monarchy (MIB). Save

"With the values of MIB, we are going to strengthen our self-identity towards being fearful of vice and treachery, have an inclination for good virtues and justice, be courteous and possess high personal integrity, as well as be loyal to the ruler."

Dr Azaharaini Hj Mohd Jamil, the Coordinator of the opening of the 18th EDPSGO yesterday said there were 31 senior officers taking part in the 18th EDPSGO, which will take eight weeks and involve a total of 12 modules, including Macroeconomic Performance, Innovation in the Public Sector, Globalisation and Good Governance, Crisis Management, Scenario Planning and Leaders Lead Change.

Dr Azaharaini said, other than those modules, the senior government officers will, take part in several activity components, including mini-forum, roundtables, site visits to local and foreign destinations, as well as work placement programmes in government ministries.

The work placement is a new component that has been discussed with the Department of Public Services to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of EDP programmes.

The work placement will involve the participants identifying issues faced by the departments and suggesting the solutions.