Cut in government expenditure won't affect public service delivery - PM Najib

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has given his assurance that the public service delivery system would not be affected even in the current challenging economic times although the government had to restructure and reduce its expenditure.

The Prime Minister said development projects set under the 11th Malaysia Plan remained unaffected to safeguard the welfare and well-being of the people.

"Therefore, key infrastructure projects such as the High-Speed Rail link to Singapore, the MRT and LRT, are all still going ahead of the schedule.

"They are part of our future, a future of people-centric connectivity that will serve both the people and generations to come," he said at the launch of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) Five-Year Report, Exhibition and Symposium here today.

Najib said urban rail connectivity, which was being experienced today, demonstrated the seriousness and commitment of the government in transforming the land public transport industry.

READ: Land public transport system, policies to be more commuter-centric

He said the government was serious in upholding the principle of "People first, performance now" –- the prioritisation of the needs of the citizenry in public service delivery.

Najib said a survey conducted in 2009 identified urban public transport as one of the key areas in public service that required transformative action.

"It was thus chosen as one of the Government Transformation Programme's National Key Result Areas under the National Transformation Programme.

"To spearhead this transformation, SPAD was established under my purview in 2010," he said.

Najib said SPAD carried a heavy mandate entrusted by the government and formed with a vision to shift gears towards a more people-centric land public transport system.

He said the commission then formulated the National Land Public Transport Master Plan (NLPTMP) in 2013, spelling out the future of Malaysia's public transport network.

"The government’s target under the NLPTMP is ambitious — to have a 40 percent modal share for public transport in Peninsular Malaysia by 2030," he said.

Najib said as a result of the strong foundations laid with the setting up of SPAD and with the NLPTMP providing the required planning rigour, land public transport improvements were being carried out with unprecedented intensity across urban and rural areas.

He said the annual survey carried out by SPAD revealed that customer satisfaction towards land public transport in Malaysia rose to 74 percent last year from 48 percent in 2010.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and SPAD chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar were present. -- Bernama