He said anyone within the public service who engages in misconduct and violates the principles of integrity should be removed from the system. This includes department heads if they protect such misconduct, he added.
“This unpopular action must be courageously taken.
“Even though it is not liked, such brave actions can save the image of the public service,” he said in his speech at the 2024 EAIC coordination meeting with department heads of enforcement agencies under its supervision here today.
Ismail said the misconduct of enforcers and public servants will be known by their respective agencies, but there is a tendency for agencies to “keep” problematic officers, a practice which must be stopped.
He said any department head who does not take action against such officers can be considered to have committed an offence.
“Retaining problematic officers will not lead to improvements in efforts to strengthen integrity. The current practice is to transfer problematic officers to other places.
“But it is like a never-ending cycle.
“The transferred officers will repeat the same actions in the new place and, worse still, influence officers and staff at the new place to engage in misconduct and lack of integrity.”
Ismail said there had been attempts by public servants and enforcers to use third parties, such as companies and influential people, to protect their wrongful activities.
“The existence of cartels that try to monopolise and manipulate the market, especially for local white rice, eggs and other basic goods, caused losses to the country.”
He said EAIC was also concerned when enforcement agencies under its supervision did not heed the punishment recommended by EAIC based on its investigations of complaints received.
“In general, the punishment imposed by the disciplinary authority (PBT) of the enforcement agencies under supervision should not be lower than the recommendations of the EAIC.
“This is because EAIC investigation officers have conducted thorough investigations and considered every aspect appropriately.
“When the PBT of these enforcement agencies do not adopt EAIC’s recommendations, it indirectly signals that they are not serious in addressing and have openly accepted misconduct and lack of integrity,” he said.
Ismail said if department heads consider integrity violations a trivial matter, then misconduct will continue to be normalised among civil servants.
He said this approach causes the enforcement agencies under supervision to assume that EAIC was established to find faults.
Ismail said EAIC was established in line with the government’s desire to strengthen and empower integrity among enforcers and enforcement agencies, which is reflected in every recommendation given by EAIC.
The coordination meeting was first held on June 22, 2022. It was agreed by members at that time that it should be held twice a year.