2012 Could Prove More Daunting For Civil Servants - Malaysian DPM

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Civil servants are facing a more challenging year in 2012 amid growing world economic uncertainty to ensure that all allocations are spent and managed efficiently, said Muhyiddin Yassin. The deputy prime minister of Malaysia said civil servants would also have to ensure that government programmes and policies are effectively implemented. He said what was even more important was to ensure that the programmes implemented would bring desired results in improving the standard of living of the people. "We know the people are facing difficulties to cope with rising cost of living. "Hence, the prime minister has taken a bold step to find ways to ease the burden of the people," he said at the monthly assembly at the Prime Minister's Department here Monday He said for example, the Ministry of Education had spent over RM500,000 on school aid, the RM200 book vouchers for Form 6, matriculation and university students and the RM500 1Malaysia People's Aid for households earning below RM3,000. (US$1=RM3.16) Muhyiddn said the initiatives set out in the budget should be implemented efficiently for they were proofs of the government's determination in helping the people. "We have to ensure that there is no backlash that could lead to the people's dissatisfaction, instead the people should feel more relieved for the feel good factor is a measure of their satisfaction with the civil service," he said. He said in order to achieve greater impact on the people, civil servants could not ignore their responsibility in fostering cooperation with entrepreneurs, industries and the private sector. Muhyiddin said as the private sector was instrumental in driving the transformation programmes, the civil service should be a catalyst to ensure that the private sector would play a more effective role. "It is our job to think of ways on how to simplify work process to support the private sector and reduce the cost of doing business to enable the private sector to speed up their programmes. "It is better to make quick or wrong decisions rather than not making any decision. A wrong decision can be corrected, but if no decision at all is made, then no effort is done to mobilise the private sector to carry out their responsibilities," he said. Muhyiddin said as the next 12 months might not be adequate, it was necessary to formulate a better strategy to engage, collaborate and cooperate with the private sector in efforts to enhance understanding between the government and the private sector. "These initiatives are not new, but I need to remind myself, my Cabinet colleagues, the chief secretary to the government, and brothers and sisters in every agency and department, about what we could expect to happen in the next two months. "If we know of the trend that will happen, interventions can be made so that glitches will not happen while the merits could be enhanced to enable better performance can be achieved," he added. Hoping for the economy to continue to grow rapidly while the people remained united, Muhyiddin said he hoped there would be no untoward incidents that could trigger political instability and jeopardise the people. -- BERNAMA