Govt must set and follow KPIs to monitor performance, says NGO

PETALING JAYA: All new ministers and deputies in the unity government must be given clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to achieve, says Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M).

TI-M president Dr Muhammad Mohan said that while it is reassuring to hear announcements from the various newly-appointed government officials since taking power, it is equally important that KPIs are introduced immediately to monitor their performance.

"KPIs help provide clear guidance on the objectives of the government and provide a means to assess their performance.

"While we will not suggest targets and timelines for the KPIs, we strongly urge the government to refer to the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) to provide clear guidance and indicators for initiatives to improve governance and integrity practice at the national level.

"This is what the rakyat expects and our country needs to address its various challenges and reset itself," he said, adding that no grace period for implementation of KPIs should be required, in a press release on Monday (Dec 12).

The NACP was introduced by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019 as a comprehensive policy to end corruption, and outlined six priority areas vulnerable to corruption which included political governance; public sector administration; public procurement; corporate governance; legal and judiciary sectors; and law enforcement.

Even after the collapse of the Pakatan government in 2020, the plan remained largely endorsed by subsequent governments under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob but remained never-fully implemented during their tenures.