By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Aug 30: Salary adjustments for civil servants must be translated into increased productivity and efficiency in public services and greater adaptability to change to enhance national competitiveness.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan underscored that the Sarawak government’s alignment with the Federal government’s initiative to raise civil servants’ salaries demonstrated the strong leadership that values and acknowledges the contributions of public servants in governance.
“This salary adjustment must lead to greater creativity and innovation, ensuring that public services are delivered efficiently and effectively,” he said when officiating the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development (MUDeNR) Innovative and Creative Group Convention at Imperial Hotel last night (Aug 29).
Awang Tengah cited a report by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) from Geneva, Switzerland, noting Malaysia’s ranking of 36th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) for 2021 and 2022 (WIPO, 2023).
He pointed out that Malaysia’s position was three places higher at 33rd in 2020, stressing the need for continuous improvement to enhance the nation’s standing globally.
“Improvement efforts are essential to elevate our country’s position on the global stage,” he stressed.
Awang Tengah highlighted the critical need for effective resource management to prevent leakages, losses, and inefficiencies within the Sarawak government.
He called for the revision of regulations and circulars to ensure they remain relevant in the current technological and environmental landscape.
“Good governance is crucial in planning and managing resources because they belong to the people and should be utilised optimally,” he said, emphasising that efficient resource management can reduce costs and generate surplus income, which can be redirected to development programmes that benefit the people.
In addition to natural resources, Awang Tengah stressed the importance of managing financial resources, office equipment, and facilities with good governance to enhance administrative efficiency and service delivery.
“We must always be proactive in ensuring that resource management in this region remains sustainable and that we continue to deliver quality services to the people,” he urged.
The ceremony also witnessed the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between MUDeNR and Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (Centexs) for talent and workforce development for Sarawak’s mineral industry and the launch of the Electronic State Planning Authority (eSPA) System that aims to digitalise service deliver for urban planning in Sarawak.
Permanent secretary to the Ministry Datu Abdullah Julaihi, Sarawak Forest Department director Datu Hamden Mohammad, Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) general manager Datu Zaidi Mahdi, and Land and Survey Department director Awang Zamhari Awang Mahmood were present. — DayakDaily
