KUCHING – Sarawak’s Minister of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom has issued a stern directive for heightened accountability among civil servants managing large-scale public funds. Speaking at the M-FICORD Integrity & Psychology Day 2025 opening ceremony on Tuesday, the minister emphasized that integrity must permeate all levels of bureaucracy.
“Every decision involving subsidies, grants, and development projects must be grounded in honesty,” declared Dr Rundi Utom. “This culture of integrity isn’t exclusive to department heads – it applies to every officer regardless of rank.” The minister’s mandate comes amid increasing public scrutiny of government expenditure across Sarawak’s development initiatives.
This year’s event, themed “Integrity Embellished, Psychology Strengthened,” spotlighted the dual pillars of ethical governance and mental resilience. Dr Rundi Utom stressed that psychological well-being directly impacts organizational effectiveness: “Mental health transcends emotional stability – it shapes decision-making frameworks and workplace interactions. Understanding psychology helps build empathetic teams and human-centric work cultures.”
The minister outlined the profile of an ideal modern civil servant: professionals who maintain emotional equilibrium while demonstrating fiscal responsibility. “Mentally healthy officers exhibit greater focus, efficiency, and accountability – precisely the attributes we require,” he explained, noting that psychological support systems would be institutionalized across departments.
The ceremony gathered hundreds of officials from planning and implementation divisions, signaling the ministry’s commitment to holistic civil service reform. Dr Rundi Utom concluded by linking psychological resilience to corruption prevention, asserting that emotionally secure officers are better equipped to resist unethical pressures when managing Sarawak’s multimillion-ringgit development portfolios.
