Sarawak strives for world class public service

PUTRAJAYA: Sarawak as the first state in the country that took the initiative and commitment to formulate and implement its public sector service transformation, is confident of providing world class service by 2020.
Sarawak Deputy State Secretary (Performance and Service Delivery) Dr Sabariah Putit said the State Public Service Action Plan 2010-2020, now in its sixth year, was on track to boost the process of public service transformation.
The action plan focuses on eight key areas, namely cultural change management, human resources skill management, innovation and creativity, handling of clients' needs, e-Government, project and programme execution excellence, financial management transformation and Sarawak legal services administrative excellence (SEALS).
"At present we are at the 'last lap' of which, the last four years are the most significant.
Even now more people are motivated to work on board with us because they are attracted by the culture we are trying to implement, meaning to say there are positive changes.
"We want the eight critical areas that are under transformation to change the face and image of the Sarawak public service to be more responsive, active and fulfill the needs and aspiration of the people in addition to the transformation agenda towards achieving the vision to become world class public services by 2020," she told Bernama, today.
She said this after presenting the innovation project, which is also listed among the finalists for the 2016 Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) Innovation Awards in the Innovation in Public Service Management category at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here.
The biennial conference themed 'Innovation: A Public Service Imperative' runs from Aug 18 to 20.
Sabariah said geographical factors and various challenges in the state should be a reason for the state's public sector to provide the best services as it was important for Sarawak to sustain itself so as not to lag behind the public service sector of the federal government.
She said efforts to transform the public sector earnestly would produce significant and sustainable outcomes in terms of service delivery, increase in productivity, efficiency and economic growth.
The transformation undertaken included the introduction of the Integrated Multi Service Counter which offered facilities to the public to obtain up to ten government and private services under one counter besides introducing the 'Service Line' mobile application for which users could make complaints or feedback directly to the state government.
Initiatives being carried out under the action plan also witnessed development projects, that were previously delayed due to various constrains, being continued.
More remarkable was when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak himself expressed his interest in adapting the methods used in Sarawak to transform the public sector of the federal government, she added. — Bernama