FEW would disagree that the civil service is a key determinant of a nation's success.
In many developed economies, governments change, but a strong civil service keeps the nation on track. Japan is one such country. The secret is to reward high-performing civil servants.
The promotion of civil servants there is not based on seniority, but meritocracy and performance.
The newly unveiled Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA) is meant to do just that for the nation's 1.6 million civil servants.
Kudos to the government for taking this action to transform the civil service. The appointment of the new chief secretary to the government, I am told, is no longer based on seniority.
Netizens said the SSPA, which replaces the Malaysian Remuneration System, is a game changer and will lead to robust public sector reform.
The Madani administration is transforming a system dogged by inefficiency and poor performance.
One of the factors that led to our competitiveness ranking dropping to 34 was "termed as government inefficiencies".
The prime minister was bold to raise the bar for the public sector so that it can be placed among the best in the region and on a par with developed nations.
It took more than a year of study by the Public Service Department to produce the new salary package.
Some described the new contract as infusing three key elements: increasing productivity and efficiency, bolstering civil servants' readiness to implement changes, and solidifying the nation's competitiveness.
The hope is that the SSPA will boost transparency and accountability in the civil service and tackle ethical and integrity concerns in public spending.
The salary hike will also ensure that public servants are more accountable for their actions.
This will generate confidence in the public that efficiency and integrity will be strengthened.
The SSPA also aims to strengthen talent management by attracting and retaining top talent.
It is expected to reward high-performing individuals. No more promotion just on seniority.
It should transform the way public servants are assessed and, in turn, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery.
Thus, a successful implementation of the SSPA is key.
This is going to be the challenge. We are known to be a nation good at crafting policies and plans, but failing miserably in execution.
Many are hoping it will be different with the SSPA.
It could position Malaysia as a leader in public sector reform, attract more investments and boost the economy.
The nation needs this transformation after years of neglect.
Another factor that dragged down our competitiveness ranking was infrastructure, especially with regard to innovation and research and development.
A vibrant innovation ecosystem can catapult our nation's competitiveness to a higher level.
Though much effort has gone into making our innovation ecosystem robust, there is still much work to do.
For example, our academic-industry partnership is not optimal. We see such collaboration delivering benefits in South Korea, Japan and Singapore.
Indonesia and Vietnam are pursuing similar paths. This calls for a strong political will.
Many are hoping this will be the subject of the next phase of civil service transformation.
The writer is a professor at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy, UCSI University