SEREMBAN: The principles of ‘check and balance’ must be practised within the government administration to ensure that the nation is free from any misconduct.
Negeri Sembilan Yang di-Pertuan Besar, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, said all elected people’s representatives, enforcement agencies and civil servants should carry out their responsibilities with integrity and accountability without any personal agenda.
“Lately, Malaysians have been exposed to the news of extreme abuse of power, which could destroy the country. One by one, the news was exposed by the Federal government almost every day to the people.
“What’s disappointing is that the abuse of power and these irregularities have been happening for so long without any effective action by any parties.
I am grateful the 14th general election had created history in the practice of democracy in the country when the people voiced through the ballot, the actions which should have been taken from the beginning against the abuse of power and malpractices before they could even start.
“I hope such matters would not occur again,” he said at the opening of Negri Sembilan’s 14th State Legislative Assembly first sitting of the second session here, on Monday.
Tuanku Muhriz said the state government should also give importance to principles of good governance in the implementation of duties and decision-making processes, taking into account the views of the people.
“The process of public consultation needs to be increased in making decisions and implementing major development frameworks. We must avoid doing projects that only cater to a certain group of people and we must always give priority to the interest of the people,” he said.
“The core of Negri Sembilan’s development is the well-being of the people. This is the foundation which forms the basis of every planning, policy and implementation in the state government. The realisation of this development requires the commitment of all council members to serve with full of trust, sincerity and seriousness by prioritising the interests of the people in giving their opinions and ideas,” he said.
On the state’s economic and financial performance, Tuanku Muhriz said reliance on only one sector could undermine the stability of a country in the event of sector’s declining performance.
“Over the past years, Negri Sembilan’s gross domestic product (GDP) has grown at an average rate of 3.7 per cent per annum. In five years, the state’s GDP has increased from RM33.9 billion in 2012 to RM40.7 billion in 2017 and this has contributed to 3.5 per cent to the gross national product.
“Nevertheless, it is worth noting that uncertainty in the economic environment can affect the state’s development and well-being of the people. For an example, the industrial sector is most affected by economic uncertainty. Thus, I am pleased to learn that the state government has taken an effective approach to diversifying other sectors as contributors to economic progress such as hospitality, retail, banking, transport and logistics.
“We hope investors’ participation will be enhanced by providing conducive infrastructure facilities and efficient service delivery system with integrity by all government agencies,” he said.
Tuanku Muhriz also called for projects that have been developed through the Social Security Network policy to continue and expanded beyond the scope of its implementation besides focusing on the development of information and communications technology infrastructure, particularly high-speed Internet facilities that could provide scientific and economic benefits to the people.
“In addition, I also believe that other aspects that the government needs to pay attention to include investments in education, research and health. Investments that have been implemented by the government in this area are a just and smart effort that will drive innovation and improve the quality of life of the people,” he said.
Earlier, Tuanku Muhriz inspected a guard-of-honour mounted by three officers and 103 members from the Royal Malay Regiment’s (RAMD) 15th Battalion of the Senawang camp.