The “Ministry of Justice Agency Against Corruption 2020 Citation of Anti-Corruption Officers and Retirement Officials Award Presentation Ceremony” was held at the hall of the Ministry of Justice on July 7 at 9:50 am. Minister of Justice Tsai, Ching-Hsiang hosted the ceremony.

     Minister Tsai expressed his congratulation to 10 model anti-corruption officers while addressing the occasion, and mentioned that the award laureates included male and female officers in equal half all over the country. Their outstanding performance covered a wide array of activities including international affairs, studies in law, integrity education, and investigations. These demonstrated the diversity of expertise among the anti-corruption officers in the country. The award laureates expressed their opinions about the value of clean politics and integrity in the documentary footage of their profiles, which indicated their firm belief and outstanding capacity in fighting corruption. Minister Tsai further thanked the anti-corruption officers on retirement for the effort they made and significant contribution in their duration of service and expected their continued support and suggestion of anti-corruption works without reservation.

     Minister Tsai mentioned that the anti-corruption team provided assistance to various government agencies in the distribution of materials, management, and inspection at the outbreak of the pandemic to prevent stockpiling of goods for inflating prices, stealing, or crimination conversion of materials for fighting the pandemic. The AAC has been helpful at this difficult time. As time goes by, the very nature of anti-corruption work has also been transformed from just whistleblowing and investigation to early warning of risk with an emphasis on preventive work rather than investigating after the fact. Premier Su always stresses that “A capable government means a government gives the peace of mind.” It is the existence of the government that the people can have peace of mind. In aligning with the world trend, the government should adjust their means of policy pursuit by staying close to the people, conforming to the will of the people, minimizing grievances, and improving efficacy. The government should think in the same way as the people and meet the expectation of the people so that the master of the country knows the government is competent. Minister Tsai encouraged the anti-corruption officers on 3 points:

I. Set an example with yourself, engage in proper communication, and understand government policies

     Heads of anti-corruption works should be professional in training and ethically oriented with a humble attitude and should keep abreast of the changes over time. They should understand the vital policies of anti-corruption to its entirety, and voluntarily sort out the problem within their organizations or from the feedback of the people. They should provide solutions with team spirit and map out the timetable for anti-corruption works using proper communication with all parties concerned for the smooth implementation of anti-corruption.

II. Preventive action is essential in anti-corruption work

     Anti-corruption officers should provide assistance to their colleagues in the understanding of applicable laws, and support them to do the right thing within the scope provided by the law. The only way to upgrade civil servants and agencies as well as the overall image of the government is the proper pursuit of anti-corruption.

III. Team spirit to yield a multiplier effect

     This is no time for a single hero. Team spirit is the absolute rule and is better than a single solder in battle. May all of you work with team spirit as one and in a concerted effort in good faith to yield the outcome of “1 + 1 > 2.”