1. Objectives
Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery (“Monastery”) is committed to lawful and ethical behavior in all its activities, and requires that all board/committee members and key staff/service providers conduct themselves in a manner that complies with all applicable laws and internal policies. In keeping with this commitment and the Monastery’s interest in promoting open communication, this policy aims to provide a means through which all board/committee members and staff/service providers can report suspected or actual occurrence(s) of illegal, unethical or inappropriate (behaviors or practices) with the reassurance that they will be protected from reprisals or victimization for whistle-blowing in good faith.
2. Scope
This Policy shall cover all board/committee members and staff/service providers of the Monastery.
3. Policy
The Whistle-blowing Policy is intended to cover concerns that could have an impact on Monastery, including actions that:
(a) May lead to incorrect financial reporting;
(b) Are unlawful;
(c) Are not in line with Monastery’s code of conduct; or
(d) Otherwise amount to serious improper conduct.
(b) Are unlawful;
(c) Are not in line with Monastery’s code of conduct; or
(d) Otherwise amount to serious improper conduct.
4. Safeguards
- 4.1 Harassment or Victimization
No Whistleblower who in good faith reports a violation of the above Policy shall suffer harassment, retaliation or adverse employment. - 4.2 Confidentiality
Reports of violations or suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, to conduct an adequate investigation. - 4.3 Allegations
The policy encourages Whistleblowers to put their names to allegations in order to facilitate appropriate follow-up questions and investigation. Concerns expressed will be investigated, but consideration will be given to:- (a) The seriousness of the concern; and
- (b) The credibility of the concern; and
- (c) The likelihood of confirming the allegation from attributable sources.
- 4.4. Malicious Allegations
Malicious allegations may result in disciplinary action.
5. Violations
Violations of this Policy may result in appropriate disciplinary action, including termination of board/committee members and staff/service providers, or other legal means to protect the reputation of the Monastery.
6. Implementation
- 6.1 Reporting
This whistle-blowing procedure should only be used for reporting concerns and sensitive issues relating to fraud, financial reporting, unethical or illegal conduct. The issues are to be sent by email to whistleblow@kmspks.org. This email address is only accessible by the Audit Committee:
- 6.2 Handling of complaints(a) Initial Inquiries
Initial inquiries will be made to determine whether an investigation is appropriate, and the form that it should take. If complaint is outside the scope of this policy, the email will be forwarded to KMS Public Affair Dept (publicaffairs@kmspks.org) within a week of receipt of email.(b) Report to Whistleblower
If the Whistleblower has identified himself or herself, he or she will be given a follow-up email/report on his or her complain within 4 weeks after the complaint was initially made. The follow-up shall:
i) Acknowledge receipt of the complaint ;
ii) Indicate how the matter will be dealt with ;
iii) Give an estimate of the time it will take for a final response :
iv) Inform the whistleblower whether initial inquires have been made; and
v) Inform the whistleblower whether further investigations will follow; and; if not; the reasons for that decision.
(c) Further Information
The amount of contact between the whistleblower and the body investigating the concern will depend on the nature of the issue and the clarity of the information initially provided. Further information may be sought from the whistleblower in order to facilitate investigation and to ensure that all pertinent factors are considered in remedying the situation.