KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission (SKM) has outlined three key levels at which integrity must be upheld to ensure the stability and competitiveness of the country’s cooperative sector.
Its chairman Lt Gen Datuk Ahmad Norihan Jalal (Rtd) said integrity among management, cooperative board members and cooperative members was essential to overseeing the more than 16,300 cooperatives currently operating in Malaysia.
He said the first level involved management, which must uphold the highest standards of integrity in its daily operations, given the mandate and trust placed in it by cooperative members.
The second involved cooperative board members, who are responsible for determining the strategic direction of their respective cooperatives.
“Board members must uphold high standards of integrity because they determine the strategic direction of cooperatives. If integrity is compromised and decisions are made based on assumptions that may not be commercially appropriate, those decisions could be called into question on integrity grounds,” he told Bernama after the SKM Chairman’s Tee 2 Green 2026 Golf Tournament at Seri Selangor Golf Club here today..
Ahmad Norihan said the third level required cooperative members to demonstrate integrity by supporting their cooperatives’ businesses and using the proper internal channels to resolve problems.
“Integrity also means supporting the cooperative itself, rather than running it down. If there are problems, raise them directly with the management or board members,” he said.
On regulatory oversight, Ahmad Norihan said SKM had two key responsibilities that needed to be balanced: ensuring good governance and integrity while promoting the growth of the cooperative movement.
He said SKM took integrity-related issues seriously and would not hesitate to take legal action under the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission Act 2007 (Act 665) or the Cooperative Societies Act 1993 (Act 502) in cases of non-compliance.
Cases involving misconduct outside SKM’s jurisdiction could be referred to the police (PDRM) or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for further action, he added.
-- BERNAMA