SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh has declared that he will not tolerate corruption within the council and will personally report any staff member or councillor to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) if they are found to be involved in corruption especially in council contracts.
Ting said he had made his position clear from the very beginning of his tenure as chairman in 2019.
“From the first day I became chairman, I told everyone that if any councillor gets involved in a council contract, I will be the first person to bring you to the MACC.
“For me, any corruption in SMC is not tolerable. Under my leadership, I will not allow it,” he stressed.
He said this at SMC Integrity Day held at the council Public Library today.
The one-day programme was held in conjunction with the ‘Strengthening Integrity, Governance and Anti-corruption (Pintar)’ initiative.
Ting said transparency and accountability must underpin every decision made by the council, particularly in government procurement.
He raised the recent criticism on social media over Sibu’s Smart Parking system as an example where staff should not fell discourage as the contract had been awarded through a transparent tender process.
“The contract was awarded in a transparent manner. We went through a proper tender process, and it was conducted correctly. That is the most important thing in any government contract,” he said.
Ting added that because the procurement process had been carried out properly, there was no reason for the council or its officers to fear allegations made on social media.
“If you are transparent, if you do your job properly, you do not have to worry. You are accountable, and that is what matters,” he said.
He also revealed that although the council ordinance requires the chairman to chair the Tender Board, he had delegated the responsibility to Councillor Christopher Christopher Kelebit Angsa further enhance transparency and strengthen good governance.
Ting said integrity is the cornerstone of good governance and effective public service, adding that public trust depends on the council’s commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability.
He urged councillors and officers to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism, saying every member of the organisation has a role to play in building a culture of integrity.
The PINTA Initiative programme featured presentations by officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on corruption prevention, as well as sessions on governance, procurement, integrity-based leadership and disciplinary matters.
SMC secretary Henry Jalin Watt said although the program will only be launched on Aug 12 in Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching, SMC had taken the initiative to organise it first.
He said the programme involved all levels of the council staff.
