PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s preparations as the Asean Chair this year in effectively managing hundreds of programmes are being well implemented by civil servants, said 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 yesterday, Bernama reported.
Anwar also took the opportunity to express his appreciation to civil servants who served with such 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 the media or social media coverage.
“What gets mentioned are selected blunders or faults. It’s not wrong to highlight certain faults, but it’s also unfair not to report efforts that reflect high levels of efficiency,” he said.
Anwar said that while travelling to the Sri Perdana Complex on Sunday, he saw dozens of civil servants from various agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister’s Department, the police and Education Ministry, carrying out their duties to prepare for the official visit of the Turkish president.
“I saw many of them, with smiles on their faces, working hard to prepare for the president of Turkiye, so I salute all of them for carrying out their duties diligently,” he said.
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived yesterday for a two-day official visit to Malaysia.
Both leaders are expected to review the progress of Malaysia-Turkiye’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership relations.
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 Malaysia and Turkiye was recorded at RM24.13 bil last year, reflecting an increase of 18.7% from 2023.
On another matter, Anwar has instructed that efforts to ensure the people’s welfare, such as eradicating hardcore poverty and flood mitigation projects, be expedited. He said he had requested that the Treasury provide flexibility to fast-track these efforts through immediate allocations in collaboration with the Economy Ministry.
Anwar said this primarily concerns projects that involve tender processes, which often take too long.
“Why do we emphasise the issue of tenders? If we use negotiations instead, there is a lot of room for errors and leakage. Therefore, it is better to use a tender process.
“However, tenders, when following the usual process, can take too long. Yet, those affected by the floods cannot afford to wait,” he said.
