PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said the government led by him is a joint administration that emphasises the Keluarga Malaysia concept. 

He said as such, it would be apt for civil servants to defend the government against any allegation or slander about the failure of the government under his administration. 

At a meeting with the Prime Minister’s Department staff in Putrajaya today, Ismail said civil servants should defend the government by looking at him as the head of the government and not as a political party leader.

During the meeting, Ismail shared with his staff the government’s successes, which included achieving a gross domestic product that recorded a growth of 8.9% in the second quarter of this year and the creation of almost 400,000 jobs, as well as recording a trade value exceeding RM2 trillion. 

“When you defend, do not be political. Do not see me as a political leader, but as the head of the government of which you are a member. 

“This government is a joint government, and I introduced the Keluarga Malaysia concept because I want us to think of this government as one family,” he added. 

The meeting was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed, and Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.

Ismail said he wants civil servants to work as a family and not in silos.

“I don’t want the old culture of working in silos. We must work together; we have shared responsibilities, (so) we can no longer move in silos but must work as a family because the silo way will actually cause failure to any action or plan,” he said. 

For the country’s economy to improve, Ismail wants civil servants to reduce bureaucracy for investors, a matter he said was often raised by investors during his visits abroad. 

“Many ministries are involved in the same matter and in the end, it causes delays. For investors and traders, time is very important. Late approvals will cause losses to them,” he said, adding that the government has agreed to set up the #MyMudah unit to deal with bureaucratic issues. 

#MyMudah will be established in all ministries and federal agencies, state governments and local authorities to facilitate business dealings across the country. 

On the government’s cooperation with the opposition through the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Transformation and Political Stability, Ismail said it was to enable the government to focus on important things such as political stability and recovery of the country’s economy. 

It was through the MOU that the anti-party hopping bill was passed, even though it was the subject of hot debate in parliament, he added. 

“From an economic point of view ,we have succeeded, the anti-party hopping bill has also been passed unanimously and we will introduce a political funding bill,” he said. 

On the separation of power, Ismail said the government will introduce a parliamentary services act. 

He said the government would not have achieved the desired success today without the support of the civil servants. 

“Keep up the good work to help the government solve problems for the benefit of the people,” he added. – Bernama, August 16, 2022.