Malaysia's Leap In WCR 2025 Underpinned By Public Service Reforms
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said among the key initiatives is the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR), which he chaired this morning, attended by all secretaries-general and heads of services.
'During my meeting at the IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland last year, I explained how Malaysia's public service is implementing service delivery reforms swiftly and decisively.
'This is manifested through the STAR team at the operational level, which has successfully coordinated over 1,000 bureaucratic red tape reform (RKB) projects nationwide,' he said in a Facebook post today.
He said for instance, the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) now uses artificial intelligence (AI) to approve building plans within a day, down from the previous 14 days.
'In Kedah, land development applications that used to take over a year can now be resolved within three months through the Land Approval Guarantee Management Initiative (iUJKT) platform.
'At the Works Ministry, approval time for building materials has been shortened from 30 days to 14 days, and many other red tape reduction projects are actively underway,' he said.
Shamsul Azri expressed confidence that with the strong commitment of all parties involved, Malaysia will continue to excel in global competitiveness rankings in the years to come.
The latest WCR 2025 report shows Malaysia rising 11 places from 34th in 2024 to 23rd position, marking the country's best performance since 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
13 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Anwar: LNG imports from US only if viable, no burden on Petronas
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 14 — Petronas' decision to import additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States (US) is subject to its capabilities and the country's needs, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today. 'I don't think that this is a problem because we only import what we need and it is based on commercial terms which will not be a burden on Petronas and the nation,' he said. He said this in response to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (MUDA-Muar) on the impact of a precondition set by the US, which requires Malaysia to import additional LNG worth US$3.4 billion annually — equivalent to 4.0 million metric tonnes per year. The Prime Minister emphasised that Malaysia will not import more than what is required. 'But we must also remember that we are an exporter. If the price is competitive and the project is conventionally viable, it makes sense for us to import more, including from the US, if it is profitable. 'This is because we have our needs and our products are still in demand in Japan, Korea, and China, and China's demand is particularly high,' he said. — Bernama
The Star
44 minutes ago
- The Star
RM1.12bil in losses to online scam in first half of 2025, says Home Ministry
KUALA LUMPUR: Online scams in Malaysia have caused a staggering RM1.12bil in financial losses in just the first half of 2025 alone, says the Home Ministry. Earlier on August 5, the Digital Ministry said online scam financial losses in 2024 reached a worrying RM1.58bil, a 2.53% increase from the year prior. The Ministry said the government would further intensify its efforts to curb online scams in the country, which include strengthening the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC). This would involve the creation of new positions involving various schemes, taking into account the establishment of the 24/7 Network function under a single governance entity. 'Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also agreed for the NSRC to be placed under the direct supervision of the Home Ministry. 'It has been decided that it will be led by the police,' the ministry said in a parliamentary written reply dated Wednesday (Aug 13). The ministry was responding to a question from Yuneswaran Ramaraj (PH-Segamat) on the amount of money lost by Malaysians due to online scams and the steps being taken to address the issue. It also said that the feasibility of drafting a Cybercrime Bill is currently being studied as part of efforts to combat cybercrime in the country. The ministry added that the SemakMule portal, which enables the public to check bank account numbers, phone numbers and companies used by scammers, currently has 265,869 bank accounts, 211,265 phone numbers, and 12,724 company names recorded.
The Sun
44 minutes ago
- The Sun
RM129m allocated for Sarawak agricultural projects in 2025
KUCHING: The federal government has allocated RM129 million for Sarawak to implement food security programmes in 2025. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup confirmed the funding covers 61 major development projects. Key initiatives include boosting the padi and rice industries in Lundu and Batang Lupar. An additional RM36.7 million was approved under the Land Use Optimisation Programme for 12 projects. Arthur emphasised the strong federal-state collaboration in advancing food security. He stated, 'The allocation and implementation of this strategic project is a reflection of the strong agreement between the federal government and the Sarawak government to support and strengthen the national food security agenda in a comprehensive and integrated manner.' The announcement followed the closing of the 2025 National Padi Conference in Kuching. The conference, themed *Padi Wave Towards National Food Security*, aimed to share research findings and foster partnerships. Stakeholders included policymakers, researchers, farmers, and industry players nationwide. - Bernama
