Salary increase under SSPA, CPI task force, AKPS among civil service reform achievements

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said other achievements of the reform agenda included the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Declaration: A Joint Commitment by the Civil Service on Nov 24 last year, marking the first time in the nation's history that all state government administrations signed and declared their commitment to implementing public service reforms nationwide.

"We have also introduced the demerit performance evaluation (DEEP) to ensure a fairer and more objective assessment system, starting this month," he said when addressing the 2025 maiden monthly assembly of the Prime Minister's Department here today.

Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Shamsul Azri added that the government had also undertaken bureaucratic red tape reform (RKB) and regulatory sandbox initiative via a circular issued on Nov 24, 2024.

"As of Dec 17, 2024, 47 projects have been completed, including efforts to expedite approval processes that previously took months to mere days, as well as increasing the number of Integrity Units in local authorities from 49 to 102, representing a 35 per cent increase," he said.

Touching on the achievements of the MADANI Government, he noted that these included approved investments in the digital economy worth RM254.7 billion from Jan to Sept 2024, creating 159,000 job opportunities.

Under Anwar's leadership, Shamsul Azri said, Malaysia continued to record impressive economic achievements, with several international tech giants making significant investments in the country, including RM10.5 billion by Microsoft, RM20 billion by NVIDIA and YTL, and RM27 billion by Oracle.

Additionally, the Malaysian ringgit emerged as the top-performing currency in Asia, while the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) saw a 34-fold increase in net income, reaching RM9.7 billion.

Inflation remained controlled at 1.9 per cent as of August, while Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) declared a dividend payout of 5.75 sen per unit for ASB, the highest payout in five years, he said.

Shamsul Azri also expressed his commitment to supporting the aspirations of the public service and the objectives outlined through various established mechanisms and channels.

"The Special Task Force on Agency Reform or STAR, chaired by me and comprising all secretaries-general and service heads, supported by chief reform officers (CROs) in every ministry, will ensure all planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, including follow-up and follow-through, are carried out optimally," he said.

-- BERNAMA