KUALA LUMPUR: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) is going after heads of government departments, including director-generals, for not addressing the misconduct of their subordinates.

Its chairman Tan Sri Ismail Bakar said action against department heads was especially needed when punishments proposed by the commission were not carried out or were reduced.

He said every complaint brought to the EAIC was investigated before any finding was made.

The recommended punishments against offenders would be submitted to the departments, daily newspaper Utusan Malaysia reported.

"Many of EAIC's recommended punishments were not carried out. We do not seek popularity or aim to punish or trouble anyone.

"The findings we propose are not arbitrary but have undergone an investigation process, discussed in meetings, and considered the merits of each case before recommending appropriate punishments.

"When an integrity violation is brought to the disciplinary authority (within the department) and is not adhered to, it implies that the agency is not interested in addressing the issue," he said during an interview at his office.

Ismail said if the situation persisted, it would be as if EAIC was not fulfilling its objectives.

Therefore, he said, EAIC would now single out department heads who failed to supervise and monitor their subordinates.

He said EAIC would write to relevant authorities such as the Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) or the Public Service director-general to report the failure of department heads to punish their guilty subordinates according EIAC recommendations.

"The department head must monitor their staff. If negligence or issues occur at the staff level, the department head can be held accountable.

"When evidence shows that the department head himself does not go to the ground, does not have mechanisms to monitor, we can take action to report to Public Service director-general and all related parties," he said.

He said efforts to combat corruption and integrity misconduct must be taken seriously as it could lead to leakage of billions of ringgit in public funds.

This aligns with a recent circular issued by Public Service director-general regarding the obligation of department heads to supervise and control their subordinates.

"Why should we keep such (corrupted) officers or directors-general? Don't make things rhetorical. If we say we don't want this to become a culture, we must be firm.

"If there's a sack of rice with two or three pests, do you want to get rid of the pests or the rice? So, all these pests need to be removed before the rice is damaged if you want to save the rice," he said.

Meanwhile, Ismail said sympathy should not exist as a reason for not taking appropriate action against guilty officers.

This proves that the department head has legitimised the issue of integrity and corruption at the department level.

"By not complying, not monitoring, it means that the department head has legitimised the integrity misconduct in the department.

"We have sent letters for complaints that we decided to investigate fully and recommended to the department head to take action by withholding any promotion, salary increment, or further study opportunities.

"This letter has also been copied to the Auditor-General, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Public Service Department.

"We will monitor whether actions are taken. If not, I will not hesitate to make a statement that the government is not serious in addressing this problem because I have evidence where our recommendations are not implemented," he said.

 

Sumber : NST