KUCHING: Public sector empowerment is one of the key agendas often emphasised by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, said Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said the main focus of the government was to ensure the delivery of efficient and people-centric services.
“Focus has to be given to efforts to reduce bureaucratic constraints so that we can help people from all walks of life, especially in the rural areas.
“For example, at the local authority level, any regulations which are found to be no longer effective should be reviewed and improved,” he said at a Majlis Perjumpaan Khas with federal and state civil servants in Sarawak at Waterfront Hotel here today.
He said the process of applying for assistance should be simplified for the people, including traders, entrepreneurs and investors. Each application should be considered quickly and as best as possible.
“This requires us to review and determine any existing processes and procedures which are considered as obstacles and which are slow to be implemented. Then, appropriate measures should be taken to amend and change the rules.
“There is a need for us to speed up the process of change in terms of procedures, methods, and so on so that important administrative matters can be implemented in a timely manner,” said Muhyiddin.
Touching on digitalisation, he congratulated Sarawak for being aligned with the federal government in spearheading efforts to convert the entire system including administration, economy and other sectors into digitalised form.
He noted that among the targets of Malaysia’s Digital Economy Blueprint was to drive the digital transformation of the public sector, including efforts to produce 100 percent digitally literate civil servants and 80 percent online government services leading up to 2025.
“The widespread use of technology in civil service post Covid-19 can certainly add value to the delivery of government services,” he said.
On another matter, the prime minister said the government had also taken various measures to combat corrupt practices and ensure efficient and transparent governance across ministries and agencies.
“As part of the civil service, we have to carry out all duties based on the principle of integrity. The question of integrity should not be compromised as it is a benchmark of the people’s confidence in the public sector and the government in general,” he said.
He urged civil servants to take up the challenge of upholding a work culture with integrity when carrying out their daily tasks. He also encouraged them to take advantage of digital technology in delivering their respective services.
“The federal and state civil servants should work closely as a team to ensure the trust given by the people can be realised and we can help them as much as we are able to,” said Muhyiddin.
