Newly appointed PSD DG wants to review existing circulars

PUTRAJAYA: The newly appointed Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shafiq Abdullah wants all existing circulars to be immediately reviewed as to whether they are still feasible in the current perspectives.

Mohd Shafiq who was appointed on Feb 10 said the development of circulars and regulations should be implemented more prudently and comprehensively, taking into account the input and views, especially from the stakeholders.

"The engagement sessions held in the early stages of policy development ensure that no issues arise after the policy is introduced," he said during his first PSD mandate address at a special assembly here today.

He said the Public Service Department (JPA), which was the main reference centre, especially in relation to human resource management and development, needs to ensure that all policies and regulations issued should be based on the actual needs of the people and in the form of consensus.

"It is necessary to ensure that all policies and regulations issued are timely and relevant at all times," he said, adding that engagement sessions, town hall meetings, dialogues, surveys, and going to the ground, among others, need to be conducted to get more quality inputs or data from various parties.

In the meantime, Mohd Shafiq said the existing public organisations should be scrutinised and studied in terms of size, structure and function to ensure that there is no overlap, thus the services delivered to the people are at an optimal level.

He said department heads should constantly review, study existing functions and conduct a business process re-engineering to ensure that the organisation is always relevant and meets current as well as future needs.

He added that public organisations should develop a high-performance work culture and precision management culture in order to encourage the proliferation of ideas and generate innovations.

Mohd Shafiq said the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotic Process Automation and the Internet of Things has the potential to improve the way we work and change the way people connect and interact with the government.

In facing the challenges of an uncertain future, he added that the public services must be thoroughly prepared from now through a strong, holistic and future-proof service platform.

The challenges include global economic instability, ageing society, pandemic outbreak, changes in demographics and climate change threat, he said.

He said the civil service requires inclusiveness of ideas and cooperation (a networking government) from all parties, including the government, private sector, non-governmental organisations and various community-based organisations.

-- BERNAMA