SANTUBONG: A person without integrity is a menace to society. When such a person has leadership roles, he is a destabilising factor.

Angkatan Zaman Mansang Sarawak (AZAM) board member and deputy chairman of its Social Policy and Community Development Committee Aishah Edris said integrity is a core value that every Malaysian should have.

"The concept of integrity encompasses a total sum of a person. Integrity is about having the right values in life. It is a prerequisite to attaining sustainable development goals, especially for developing countries," she said.

As Vision 2020 is only 11 years away, Aishah said it was a necessity to put in more effort to expedite the pace of change and realise its objectives.

She was speaking at the opening ceremony of AZAM's Integrity Ambassadors Programme for Youth and Young Professional at Camp Permai. It had 33 participants.

"We need to walk the extra mile to ensure that our national aspirations are achieved so we can make a difference for the sake of our children and grandchildren," she explained.

With that in mind, AZAM Integrity Ambassadors Programme for Youth and Young Professional hopes to shape and build a pool of "integrity ambassadors" among youths and professional who will champion and promote integrity values in society.

The term "ambassadors" is used to show that participants are expected to not only embrace sound of moral values but propagate them, especially to their peers in their communities and beyond.

The six-day programme organised by AZAM in partnership with Konrad-Adeneur-Stiftung (KAS) of Germany and Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM) aims to enhance youth understanding of the importance of integrity in the development of state and country.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg is expected to close the programme on Nov 26.

Also present were AZAM board member Julaihi Ismail and IIM Political Sector Director Mark Noel Bonchol.