PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's preparations as Asean chair this year in managing hundreds of programmes are being well implemented by civil servants, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the management of Asean is not a matter of pride or position, but one that reflects the capability of civil servants in ensuring the country's administration runs smoothly.
"This certainly requires assignments that are way more than usual. Our level of preparation for our events is among the best that I have seen.
"Although not as grand as other countries, our level of efficiency, discipline and orderliness is very commendable,” he said at a meeting with the staff of the Prime Minister's Department here on Monday (Feb 10).
Anwar also took the opportunity to express his appreciation for civil servants who served with dedication and diligence to ensure the smooth running of the country's administration, particularly in preparing for official events involving international leaders.
"I chose to say this because thousands (of civil servants) at all levels are working on the preparations and, sometimes, such things never get mentioned in media or social media coverage.
"What gets mentioned are selected blunders or faults. Not wrong to highlight certain faults, but it's also unfair not to report efforts that reflect high levels of efficiency,” he said.
The Prime Minister also shared his experience of trying out an electric vehicle (EV) that was presented by Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently.
"Yesterday, I happened to try out the EV presented by the President of Turkiye... he presented it to the Prime Minister but to me it is to the country, it is not my property. I can use it as long as I am the Prime Minister but after that, I must give it back to the country,” he said.
Anwar said that while travelling to the Sri Perdana Complex at about 1.30pm on Sunday (Feb 9) he saw dozens of civil servants from various agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister's Department, the Royal Malaysia Police and Education Ministry carrying out their duties to prepare for Erdogan's official visit.
"I saw many of them with smiles on their faces, working hard to prepare for tomorrow (Monday) for the President of Turkiye... so I salute all of them for carrying out duties diligently,” he said.
Erdogan will make a two-day official visit to Malaysia from today on the invitation of the Prime Minister.
The visit aims to reaffirm the solid relations between the two nations, which continue to advance based on long-standing ties, particularly following the elevation of relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in July 2022.
Both leaders are expected to review the progress of Malaysia-Turkiye CSP relations, particularly in trade and investment, defence, halal, energy cooperation, disaster management, health, science and technology, and connectivity.
Last year, Turkiye was Malaysia’s third-largest trading partner, largest export destination, and fourth-largest import source among West Asia countries.
The total trade between the countries was recorded at US$5.28bil (RM24.13bil) last year, an 18.7% increase from 2023. – Bernama
