TAWAU: A programme has been held here to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) conduct business with integrity.
Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) executive committee member Balbeer Singh said youth are the nation’s future and will determine its progress and prosperity.
He said through courses such as the Youth Against Corruption: Integrity & Accountability Workshop and the Anti-Corruption Workshop – Leading Business Integrity, organisers hoped to indirectly support national efforts to combat corruption.
Balbeer said the programme was designed based on feedback from participants and the SME business community on the challenges they face in reporting or engaging in anti-corruption activities in Sabah.
“SMEs drive the country’s progress, and their contributions towards making Malaysia a developed nation are recognised.
“Through this programme, they will be able to conduct business with integrity and refrain from engaging in corrupt practices to obtain tenders or profits,” he said during the two-day event here on Sept 19.
The initiative was jointly organised by TI-M in collaboration with the Sabah Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Society for Equality, Respect and Trust for All (SERATA).
A total of 31 participants attended the first day of the programme, which targeted youth from the Tawau Youth Associations Coalition, GIAT MARA Tawau branch, and Tawau Polytechnic branch.
On the second day, 41 SME participants joined, representing the Tawau Palm Oil Associations Coalition and the Tawau Municipal Traders Association Coalition.
Sabah MACC prosecution branch head Dzulkarnain Rousan Hasbi also shared knowledge on the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 and expressed hope that more members of the public would come forward to provide information to enforcement agencies.
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