PUTRAJAYA: Four government offices abroad tasked with attracting foreign investment and tourism activities will be consolidated under one roof beginning January.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the agencies involved were the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida).
"There is an issue of overlapping functions and roles among government offices abroad, so this consolidation aims to reduce expenses and optimise operating costs.
"The world is becoming smaller and the economy and technology are advancing, yet our way of thinking and acting remains outdated.
"That's why everyone must cooperate. Ministers and ministries need to accept the reality that our work can be carried out more efficiently (by being under one roof) through a more organised process," he said.
Anwar said this in his keynote address at the 19th Majlis Amanat Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam (MAPPA) today.
Also present were Chief Secretary to the Government, Datuk Seri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, and Public Service Department (PSD) Director-General, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Anwar added that the issue of overlapping functions should also be addressed within agencies and government-linked companies.
"I want this reform to be taken seriously, and I no longer want to hear objections, nonsensical justifications, stubbornness, or a rigid 'sense of ownership' that hinders its implementation."