PUTRAJAYA: Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, has outlined five key areas to realise his vision for the civil service, termed the Public Service Reform Agenda.
In his maiden address as the chief secretary since assuming the role on Aug 12, he detailed five key areas with 20 strategies which include upholding values and governance, human capital development, organisational development, service delivery, and empowering public-private synergy.
He said the five key areas were chosen based on input and suggestions from the Public Service Reform Framework Development Symposium on Sept 3.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had repeatedly spoken on Madani values and good governance.
"In line with the aspirations of the government of the day, the plans and agenda of the civil service must align with this national aspiration.
"As a group that is constantly under public scrutiny, we must be good role models for the people in realising the vision of Malaysia Madani," he said.
Shamsul Azri cited the example of a school teacher who reportedly made derogatory comments about the Orang Asli on social media following the Nenggiri by-election results.
"In my view, this should not have been done by a civil servant if we truly embody the value of respect in the principles of Madani. In other words, the most fundamental thing is the development of values within ourselves – civil servants, he said at the Dewan De' Seri Endon in Putrajaya today.
In the first area - upholding values and governance - he outlined five key strategies including enhancing civil servants' understanding of Malaysia Madani through training modules and the National Service 3.0.
This also includes ensuring prudent public spending, to which he has directed the Finance Ministry to issue a circular and instil patriotism among civil servants.
He also called for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) under the MyPerformance system to be enhanced, and the Demerit Performance Evaluation System (DEEP) for department heads to be strengthened, with new elements focusing on failure to report corruption cases.
He also asked the Finance Ministry, Economy Ministry, as well as Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry to review matters to strengthen green culture and sustainability of resources.
The second key area of reform, human capital development, will focus on producing officers who are not only efficient in their daily tasks but also capable of adapting to environmental, technological, economic, and social changes.
For this, the first strategy is to implement leadership placement changes in several ministries and departments, as recently carried out, to bring in fresh ideas.
The second strategy is to equip civil servants with new knowledge, skills, and abilities, while the third strategy is to increase productivity of civil servants.
"During the 19th Majlis Amanat Perdana Perkhidmatan Awam (MAPPA) on Aug 1, the third key area of success, Organisational Development, was addressed which involves rationalising and restructuring agencies, as well as reviewing specific rules and privileges.
"As a quick win, we will implement the rationalisation of overseas representative offices.
"Starting January 1 next year, offices of representatives and government agencies abroad with overlapping functions, duties, and roles will be placed under the same building. This step is to optimise the use of human and financial resources.
"I have asked the Public Service Department to issue a Public Service Progress Circular (PKPA) related to guidelines on creating a pleasant work environment in the public sector, as a reference for all ministries and departments," he said.