Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has raised expectations for civil servants, urging them to rise to the challenge as Malaysians have become more critical and demand expeditious and quality service from the Government as the country develops.
“These high hopes have made the job of civil servants more challenging than before,” he said.
“Thus, as a government, we have no option but to ramp up our capabilities for a more effective and speedier delivery system as well as make sure the service is delivered to the right focus group.”
He was speaking at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre at the Public Service Department’s Dialog Perdana – a session aimed at encouraging discussion to ensure that the civil service had everything required to work efficiently.
“We acknowledge the civil servants’ role as the backbone of achieving the country’s aims. We depend on you. You are the ones who will make it happen,” he reiterated.
“That is why we need your firm and strong commitment. In the past three years, we have shown an encouraging performance and I hope the journey will bring us greater success.”
Last week the PM outlined two new guides, CTI – standing for speed, accuracy and integrity and PCI or productivity, creativity and innovation. These, he said, should be the maxims of the civil service as they move beyond the “business as usual” mind-set.
At this stage of Malaysia’s development, business is anything but usual.
The country enjoys robust financial health with foreign direct investment growing, successful IPOs and shares hitting new highs, an economy that experiences sustained growth, rising consumer confidence… the list goes on.
Referring to the new Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), which opened in Malacca recently, Najib described it as a beacon for the civil service in terms of the direction they needed to take in pursuit of CTI and PCI.
“Unlike the normal practice where state and federal departments operate separately, the UTC offers a one-stop centre for the rakyat,” he said.
Through the UTC and other similar initiatives, the people could make various transactions such as paying tithes for the Muslims and taxes, changing their MyKad, passports, settling their summonses and all, importantly, in one location.
“This is a transformation which probably cannot be found elsewhere in the world, which we can provide to give satisfaction and comfort to the public,” he said.
Malaysia is irrefutably in the midst of an historic and rapid evolution – and it’s one that needs the full support of an efficient, modern and capable civil service that recognises the gravity of the transformation.
“We need big, bold ideas with effective and speedy execution. We want to see that the improvements are not just incremental, but by a quantum leap,” the Prime Minister declared.