Public Administration Efficiency Commitment Bill Expected To Be Gazetted By Year-end - KSN

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The Public Administration Efficiency Commitment Bill is now in its final stage of being completed and expected to be gazetted before the end of this year, says Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

He said the Bill was part of the government's efforts to improve Malaysia’s ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by enhancing the overall administrative process.

“The final draft of the Bill is currently being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Chambers, and we are targeting its gazettement before the end of the year,” he told reporters after a recording session of the ‘Bicara Naratif’ programme produced by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) at Wisma Berita RTM here today.

During the tabling of Budget 2025, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that the MADANI government was determined to implement public service reforms that upheld the principles of good governance to drove productivity.

Anwar said the Public Administration Efficiency Commitment Bill would be drafted with three key transformations: reducing bureaucracy, expediting processes, and improving service efficiency.

The Public Service Reform Agenda focuses on five key outcomes: Values and Governance, Human Capital Development, Organisational Development, Service Delivery, and Public-Private Strategic Synergy.

Further elaborating, Shamsul Azri said the government was committed to improving Malaysia’s position in the CPI, setting a target for the country to be among the top 25 nations by 2033.

To achieve this, various initiatives have been introduced, including the establishment of the Special Task Force for Agency Reform (STAR) to implement Bureaucratic Red Tape Reform (RKB).

He noted that last year, 160 administrative processes were streamlined, with the target set to increase to 400 this year.

Shamsul Azri, who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity (IIM), highlighted two key initiatives currently being undertaken by IIM: the Malaysia Integrity Index (INTEX) and the National Integrity Empowerment Strategy (NIH). These initiatives aim to embed integrity as part of Malaysian society and contribute to improving the country’s CPI ranking.

When asked about the role of the media in fostering integrity within the public service, he emphasised that media involvement was crucial in communicating government initiatives to the public.

He said a key element of the public service reform introduced since Sept 10 last year was media engagement in disseminating information on the government's efforts to enhance integrity.

“The government has undertaken many positive initiatives, but these efforts have not been widely promoted.

"Therefore, I urge all ministries and agencies to strengthen their collaboration with the media so that the public can better understand the government's efforts in ensuring integrity remains at the highest level," he said.

Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) announced on Feb 11 that Malaysia remained in 57th place in the 2024 CPI, with a score of 50 points.

The CPI is based on 13 surveys and expert assessments measuring perceptions of corruption in the public sector across 180 countries and territories worldwide.

Earlier, in addition to Shamsul Azri, who participated as a panellist, the Bicara Naratif programme—hosted by Ismail Adnan—also featured the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Azam Baki, and Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Dr Muhammad Mohan.

-- BERNAMA