Malaysian Govt has No Choice but to Carry Out Radical Transformation
KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The Malaysian government has no choice but to undertake a radical transformation in its administration of the country in order to rectify the negative situation faced, says Prime Minister najib Tun Razak.
Noting that when he took office on April 3, last year, Malaysia could be said to be “in a negative starting position”, he added Tuesday: “I and my colleagues in the Cabinet tried to make changes in the government, not to change the government, but to change our way of doing things and our direction in the interest of the nation.”
Speaking at a luncheon for political secretaries of Cabinet members at Putrajaya, the national administrative capital, near here, Najib said the transformation made would be all-encompassing, not only in terms of the direction but also the detailing of the concepts introduced before.
He said the government also emphasised new approaches through its policies and programmes which were now more people-friendly. The friendly monitoring or “walkabouts” by him and other leaders was one of the effective approaches in winning the people’s hearts.
“From the feedback I received, that is one approach that is well-received and appreciated by the people. When we go down to the ground through this friendly approach …. without protocol but doing it sincerely and spontaneously and if we are able to solve the people’s problems, it means the visits will have a deep and long-lasting impact on the people.”
The prime minister said there should also be follow-up action after the walkabouts. For example, he said, when visiting the Hulu Selangor district in the central state of Selangor recently, he announced an allocation to repair some apartments and for other projedts, but stressed that there must be follow-through on the announcement.
“Now the project is in full swing. This makes a big impact on the people. They see what we’re doing; there’s follow-through on a plan.”
Najib also reminded government leaders not to make promises which are difficult to fulfil.
“If we make a promise in an announcement, there must be a follow-through. It does not matter if it’s a small or big thing, but we must ensure the promise is fulfilled within a specific time,” he said.
He also reminded the Cabinet ministers to speak with one voice and if there were matters arising, they should amicably resolve them through the proper channels. — NNN-BERNAMA
