The establishment of the National Integrity and Good Governance Department (JITN) will further strengthen the country's integrity and good governance agenda through a well-planned implementation strategy.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low Seng Kuan said recurrence of weak governance as reported in the Auditor-General’s Report, the country’s performance in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and the slew of arrests involving corruption cases by the MACC emphasised that improvements must continue to be strengthened to spur changes in the public and private sectors.

“The country’s integrity management and governance involve more extensive issues and scope and not only focusing on corruption alone. Its implementation encompasses various roles and components that lie under the jurisdiction of various agencies.

“Therefore, the establishment of JITN as the leading agency can provide the integrity management and good governance mechanism through a more holistic and effective policy to be carried out by various implementing agencies,” Low said in a written reply to Muhyiddin Yassin (Bersatu-Pagoh) at the Dewan Rakyat today.

Muhyiddin (photo) wanted to know the rationale behind the establishment of new departments such as JITN, despite the existence of MACC.

In a separate written reply to Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir (Umno-Kulim Bandar Baharu), the department said that JITN also played a role in ensuring the initiatives under the National Key Result Areas for combating corruption are implemented through established objectives and to help strengthen efforts by MACC to address it.

JITN would also steer the initiatives in integrity empowerment and national governance more holistically as well as on the issues of human rights in the public and private sectors.

“This role is viewed as the best mechanism to make JITN as a focal point on the management of issues involving corruption, integrity and governance as well as assisting agencies directly involved in the fight against corruption,” the department said in the written reply.

It also said that human resource requirement for the establishment of JITN was carried out through the reorganisation of agencies and posts, as well as redeployment and recruitment of officials from ministries, departments and other agencies, in line with the government’s current policy towards optimal use of human resources and financial provisions.

- Bernama