“It cannot be denied that many (civil servants) play golf but they are not involved with companies or interested parties. They play among themselves (civil servants). It does not involve bribery or betting.”
He said any sport or activity which could involve cooperating with interested parties was not allowed under any circumstances.
“If there are contractors who want to treat or join in, do not involve (them in) golf games or overseas trips,” he told a press conference here today.
Without disclosing details, Ali said the Public Service Department (PSD) had taken action against several senior officers of a department involved in golf matches overseas.
Ali stressed that although there was much publicity on corruption cases involving civil servants, it did not mean that all government staff were corrupt.
“The majority or 99% have a high level of integrity,” he said, adding that there were currently 1.6 million civil servants in the country.
He also expressed support of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) work in combating corruption in the civil service and hoped the anti-graft agency would resolve all cases connected to government staff as soon as possible.
“We in the civil service hate corruption. Integrity is of utmost importance. I and all the secretaries-general and civil servants agree to uphold the principle of integrity in the civil service.”
Commenting on the secretary-general of a ministry with the title “Datuk” who was remanded to assist in an investigation by the MACC, Ali said the officer had been suspended from duty and would be sent to the civil servants’ pool without any portfolio.
Later, at an event to present letters of promotion to management and professional staff as well as those in the implementation group, Ali reiterated his confidence of civil servants being honest and responsible when performing their duties despite reports of some being investigated by the MACC for abuse of power.
“Do not let the actions of a small number of people affect the reputation of the entire group. We should prove to the people that the public service sector still has a high level of integrity.”
He urged civil servants to increase their productivity and give their best to the people while ensuring that government policies, projects and programmes were implemented in the best possible way.