KUALA LUMPUR: The Quick Response Team is capable of helping ministries and government agencies identify issues that have the potential to go viral, while enabling faster, more coordinated, and comprehensive communication responses.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the team plays an important role in ensuring government policies and issues are properly explained to the public, while helping to ease confusion among the rakyat.
"The Quick Response Team is a capability to identify issues that may go viral… and to provide comprehensive and decisive communication so that the matter does not burden ministries, departments, ministers or the government, while ensuring proper clarification and de-escalation,” he said here on Thursday (May 21).
He was speaking to newsmen at the 2025 Excellence Service Award (APC) ceremony for the Communications Ministry.
Also present were Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah, deputy secretary-general (Strategic Communications and Creative Industry) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil, Broadcasting Department director-general (RTM) Ashwad Ismail, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Chief Executive Officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin and Tun Abdul Razak Broadcasting and Information Institute (IPPTAR) director Datuk Roslan Ariffin.
Fahmi said the ministry was at the forefront of ensuring that government policies were effectively communicated and understood by the public, noting that communication shortcomings were often blamed when policies were poorly explained.
"When policies from other ministries are perceived as not being communicated effectively, the issue often raised is that communication has not succeeded,” he said.
Therefore, he said the role of ministry personnel had become increasingly important given their significant capability in helping deliver government information effectively to the public.
Meanwhile, Fahmi also reminded civil servants to practise prudent spending amid global economic uncertainty arising from the conflict in West Asia, which has affected global supply chains.
He said the government had also assured that the country’s fuel supply and essential goods remained sufficient until the end of the year through efforts by various parties, including PETRONAS.
"When we go to the shops, there is no need to panic-buy. Just buy what is necessary and leave enough for others, neighbours and the community as well,” he said.
On the award ceremony, Fahmi said a total of 687 Communications Ministry and agency staff received the APC 2025, with 535 recipients from Peninsular Malaysia zone honoured on Thursday.
The Peninsular Malaysia zone recipients comprised 66 staff from the Communications Ministry, RTM (234), the Information Department (121), the Community Communications Department (J-Kom) (18), IPPTAR (eight), Bernama (63) and the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (Finas) (25).- Bernama
