Datuk Amar Aziz spoke frankly about the greater accountability of the state civil service

"When we talk about best practices, we mean professionalism, good corporate governance, cultures of integrity, competitive advantages, productive workforce, consistent leadership and positive morale and ethical practices. The collapse of ENRON for instance has raised serious concern about the lack of good corporate governance, transparency and accountability. The trend in the political scene has also shifted towards a better constituent accountability which demands that the politician, the administrators and the people establish better rapport, clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each party and its leadership”.

These statements from the State Secretary’s opening remarks set the tone of discussions and deliberations during the 7th Dewan Undangan Negeri Seminar held from 3rd – 4th December 2003. YB Datuk Amar Haji Abdul Aziz Husain also touched on the crucial role of the public sector as a “generator and primary guardian of values”. He explained that the qualities we have come to expect from leaders, such as being able to inspire a shared vision, modeling the way, possessing an inquisitive mind and enabling others to act, are no longer sufficient in this day and age.

“While all these qualities remain relevant”, he stressed, “leadership qualities without accountability will affect the credibility of leaders. He noted that of late, there has been increasing interest particularly in the area of good governance and greater transparency generally, which demands that leaders must measure up to public scrutiny in the course of performing their duties.

The Chief Minister and Tan Sri Jabu were among those who were at the seminar

The State Secretary assured the political leaders, and the public that they represent, that the State Civil Service has and will continue to play a key role in ensuring appropriate accountability in the management of the asset of the State for the general good of the public. Such accountability will be manifested, for example, in measures such as implementing government programmes in a cost effective manner without compromising client satisfaction. He stressed that the civil service will be placing even more emphasis on identifying areas of better practices, “as well as noting where, in our opinion, improvements can be made to program service delivery necessary for good management. Our credibility and effectiveness depend on the close relationship with, and understanding of the functions of, all Government Agencies and their operations”.

He pledged that the professionalism of public services will not be compromised and will remain its major asset in helping the State government attain its goal of being a catalyst for better practices within the public sectors in Sarawak and be a role model for Malaysia generally. “In the transitional context, where the shift of values appears as one of the dominant dimensions in changes in the relationships and culture of public services, the further development of processes of professionalism will facilitate and even drive changes of value system, “ Datuk Amar Hj Aziz said.

“A civil service with the highest standards of professionalism is an important “trust building” institution – an extremely crucial issue in the context of transition”, he added. The seminar, with the theme “Public Sector Accountability: Emerging Trends and Practices in the Political Landscape” is one of the avenues for the legislative and executive arms of the State Government to synergize their common endeavors in pursuing development initiatives for the State.

This year’s seminar focused on public values and ethical governance in line with the need for revolutionary and integrative roles of leaders of today. Topics included for discussion were “The Bureaucracy’s Accountability”; “Financial Prudence in the Public Sector”; “A Report Card on Sectoral Performance”; “Managing Public Ethics”; “Local Government and Public Accountability”. Distinguished speakers of diverse backgrounds come from an array of organizations like the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia, Transparency International Malaysia, IRIS Technologies (M) Sdn Bhd, Speech Dynamics, Ethnicite Sdn Bhd and State government departments.