Formation of JITN under review - Paul Low

The formation of the department of national integrity and good governance (JITN) is under review by the Public Service Department (JPA), through discussions with the relevant agencies, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan.

He said it was to prevent overlapping of functions, as well as to improve the effectiveness of the existing human resources.

Low said the establishment of the JITN was approved by the Cabinet on July 28, in line with the Government Transformation Programme, for the institutionalisation of compliance initiatives in the fields of governance, integrity and human rights.

"JITN is set up to lead the transformation of change to build institutional capacity, especially among civil servants and drive policy changes and empower the government's processes," he said in a statement here on Wednesday.

He added that the transformation initiatives would require enforcement agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to strengthen and focus on key functions.

Low said JITN would be the agency assisting in the government's engagement with civil society organisations.

Where necessary, he said JITN would establish a cooperative relationship with the community, including business associations to improve governance and human rights in the non-governmental sector.

On Monday, Low said JITN was being upgraded from the Integrity and Good Governance Division under the Prime Minister's Department into a full department.

-- BERNAMA