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This brings me to my next point about the need to always challenge longer see themselves in isolation, but rather as an integrated part of one
our paradigms and never be afraid of coming up with new ideas and Government with many agencies, and one delivery system.
approaches. The culture of innovation, creativity and continuous
improvement should be adopted as a work culture at all levels of the In this context, leadership in the public service must promote working across
organisation. We cannot afford to sit and wait, and then take nothing organisational boundaries and bringing together the various agencies to
more than reactionary steps after changes have taken place. attain synergy in public service delivery. To instil this culture, leadership
however must allow for some calculated risk-taking, experimentation and
To move beyond the traditional mind set of “business as usual”, our Prime good judgment. Leaders must encourage their officials to constantly think
Minister has outlined six core principles, known simply by two acronyms: of new ways of doing things, rather than sticking with business as usual,
CTI (Cepat, Tepat dan Integriti) and PCI (Productivity, Creativity and even when redundant.
Innovation). Both these acronyms serve as the guiding principles for all
civil servants in carrying out their duties. PTD officers should strive for high standards of performance with tangible
goals and realistic plans to achieve them, especially when we are
CTI dictates that we are to deliver swiftly and accurately without entrusted to successfully implement the National Transformation Agenda.
compromising our integrity. By holding ourselves to these high standards, This would require a change from an input-oriented practice to outcome-
we will enhance the public’s confidence that the machinery of the public based approaches. The outcome-based approach provides transparency.
service system is in good working order. As such, the progress of projects and programmes are more easily
monitored.
PCI on the other hand, caters to the increasing demands of our economy.
The Malaysian public service is constantly faced with the reality that one Demanding a high standard of performance by itself, however, is
of its core objectives is to deliver services that add value to the economy. inadequate if there is no measurement and follow-up action. We are
Towards that end, the Government is intensifying its efforts to develop a often praised for having the best plans, but unfortunately, often lacking
public service with a high performance and innovative culture, which in the drive and commitment in its implementation and completion. One
will contribute to making us better able to compete with our neighbours cannot deny the fact that this phenomenon will inevitably point towards
for human capital, for tourists and for investment dollars. the talent in public sector organisations.

Attaining seamless service delivery is still one of the areas we are It is acknowledged that the influence of public service leadership
grappling with today. Poor co-ordination amongst public sector agencies especially PTDs in terms of policy advice, policy implementation
has resulted in overlapping of roles and functions, as well as wastages and decision making has profound and extensive impact on the life
in terms of time and resources. The public service agencies must no of the rakyat. Nevertheless, the influence has a further line of sight in
repercussions if not delivered efficiently. A flawed decision may have
tremendous consequences on society at large.

We should also rise up and fight back against I am acutely aware that Malaysian public service leaders are constantly
untrue allegations made against the Government being compared to others around the world, and expectations will
continue to grow. Leadership development is both a science as well as an
and its programmes. We have always been at the art. It can be constantly built upon to keep abreast of modern demands.
receiving end of criticism, and I believe it is time This is in line with the adage that “Leaders are made and not born”.
that we address all these lies with facts They develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education,
training and experience. As someone entrusted to lead the public service,
and figures. I too am constantly striving to better myself as a leader, knowing that the
competencies that have gotten me ahead in the past may be outdated. If

34 Humanising The Public Service : A Compilation of Speeches by the Chief Secretary to the Government 35