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Internal auditors can instill ethical workplace culture - Rafidah
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Internal auditors play an important role in supervising business management and instilling the culture of working competently and ethically, says AirAsia X Bhd chairperson Rafidah Aziz.

“Internal auditors are the ones who supervise the way the rest of the people (do things) and if they are very good internal auditors, they can quickly detect any errors, distortions and irregularities,” she told Bernama in an interview in Kuala Lumpur today.

She said internal auditors would help to advise, suggest and put into place the corrective measures and plug the loopholes.

“The only way that businesses can grow is when they are done ethically. Some businesses have to be shut down because they are being unethical,” she said.

Rafidah, who was a former international trade and industry minister, pointed out the need for internal auditors to have the right attitude in carrying their duties within their boundaries.

“As far as the laws and legalities are concerned, they have the necessary perimeters set up for them to carry out their jobs effectively. What is important is the attitude towards the work and the commitment towards doing things well,” she explained.

Nevertheless, even with good laws and regulations in place, people who are driven by greed, misguided human values and wrong conscience will circumvent to satisfy their needs even through unethical means, she said.

“Any wrongdoing that has got to do with taking what’s not yours in terms of money, public coffers, abuse of power and authority is driven by human greed whether greed for power, authority or money.

“When the people are driven not by conscience, but by greed and not being satisfied in what they have, they will find ways and means that we won’t be able to even think of,” she said.

She maintained that the right conscience could be implanted through education from an early age.

“I always believe that the education system, if you teach them at the basic, they carry through life,” she added.

Before venturing into the corporate world, Rafidah was a prominent figure in the government, holding various ministerial positions, including international trade and industry minister from 1987 to 2008, public enterprises minister (1980-1987) and deputy finance minister (1977-1980).

- Bernama

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