Budget 2026: RM25 Mln To Boost STAR’s Public Service Reform Efforts - Shamsul Azri

By Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The RM25 million allocation to the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR) under Budget 2026 is set to enhance its efforts in planning, coordinating and monitoring the implementation of policy reforms and strategic initiatives in a comprehensive and integrated manner, said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

He said STAR, now in its third year of implementation, had achieved several significant milestones, among them the Bureaucratic Red Tape Reform initiative.

Shamsul Azri, who also leads STAR, said the reform had seen over 1,000 projects successfully coordinated, resulting in compliance cost savings of more than RM1.1 billion and improving Malaysia’s standing in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR).

He said the efforts had a direct impact on the people, citing the implementation of the Sentuhan MADANI Kiosk, which facilitated easier access to government services in an integrated manner.

“STAR will continue to focus on accelerating the implementation of the Public Service Reform Agenda (ARPA), emphasising the appreciation of values as the core outcome and developing talent competencies in new fields such as cryptography, quantum technology, futures thinking and scenario planning,” he told Bernama.

Shamsul Azri said focus was also given to strategically refining the organisational structure and intensifying digitalisation to enhance the efficiency of service delivery to the public.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, he said the allocation for the task force would focus on comprehensive digitalisation of public services, as well as accelerating the development of infrastructure and innovation initiatives.

Shamsul Azri, in a statement yesterday, said civil servants had accepted the Prime Minister’s challenge to speed up work processes and procedures, re-engineer systems, remove inter-agency silos and focus on the wellbeing of the people.

On Friday, Anwar galvanised RM470 billion in resources in Budget 2026, prioritising economic resilience and expanded support for small businesses to future-proof the economy amid persistent global uncertainties.

Budget 2026, themed Belanjawan MADANI Keempat: Belanjawan Rakyat, will pool and optimise national resources, including funds from government-linked investment companies, federal statutory bodies and Minister of Finance Inc companies, through public expenditure totalling RM470 billion compared to RM452 billion last year.

--BERNAMA