KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Suriani Ahmad wasted little time in getting down to work as the new secretary-general of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, with one of her stated priorities being for the government to respond immediately to any issue in the country.
She said it is felt that there is a delay currently in the response time to address issues which require an immediate explanation.
“It (the response) may not necessarily be from our ministry but the respective ministries or departments, whereby there is too much of a delay in the response time when an issue is hot and we have to tackle the problem immediately,” she told reporters at Angkasapuri here.
Suriani, 50, who assumed duties today, had earlier paid a courtesy call on Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo at the latter’s office at Wisma TV.
Asked about her meeting with the minister, Suriani said one of the matters to be focused on is the modernisation of the information, communications and multimedia institutions.
“We have entered a new phase in the administration of our country where everything has to be done fast and executed in a more modern way. I will work together with the Honourable Minister to drive this ministry,” she said.
Asked about her being among the youngest of women secretaries-general, Suriani said she hoped that the ministry staff will set aside gender and age issues to help strengthen the ministry’s machinery.
Suriani shared her plan to go down to the ground to better understand the functions of the departments and agencies under the ministry.
“From the outside, I came across many issues raised that are closely associated with the ministry’s departments and agencies. Now is the time for me to scrutinise these issues and find out why they cropped up,” she said.
Suriani, who hails from Perlis, was previously the director of the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan).
She has also served as the secretary-general of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry and in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry as well as the Ministry of Defence.
Suriani holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication (Honours) from Universiti Sains Malaysia and a master’s degree in Strategy and Diplomacy from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. — Bernama
