PUBLIC

ADMINISTRATION
REFORM IN
MALAYSIA
POLICY REVIEW

KRI-OPDC
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
BALI, INDONESIA D r. Ro s s l i n a A h m a d M o k h t a r
13-15 MARCH 2019 Deputy Director-General of Public Service (Development)
Public Service Department of Malaysia
THANK YOU
to the hosting and organising institutions

• Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform

(MABR), Indonesia,
• Office of Public Sector Development Commission
(OPDC), Thailand, and
• Korea Research Institute, the University of New
South Wales, Sydney Australia

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OBJECTIVES
This symposium aims to build a
discussion about public
administration reform experiences in
Southeast Asia and Korea in relation
to:

 the policy-making process for reform

policies;
 the capacity of the government agencies
to plan and implement reforms;
 implementation of the reform;
 factors facilitating or hindering the process
of reforms and the responses of the
government agency driving the reform to
them; and
 the outcomes of the implementation of
reform policies.

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Are We in the Public Sector
Driving With Our Brakes On?
is this how people perceive the public sector?

4
 Public Sector
Challenges in Malaysia
KRI-OPDC
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
BALI, INDONESIA
13-15 MARCH 2019
 The Challenges
Centralisation of
powers or authority Bureaucratic
red tape Multiple layers of
reporting hierarchy Improve the level
of responsiveness
and awareness

Lack of Coaching
and Mentoring Comfortable and
complacent with the Working in silos
current situation mentality and low Rising expectations
level of and requirements of
engagement all stakeholders 6
Centralisation
of Powers
of Authority
Malaysia is governed through a centralised body in their
respective capital cities. Malaysia has been described as
having a highly centralised government system mainly
due to the fact that the country has differences in
territorial, demographic, linguistic, cultural, and religious
identity.

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Bureaucratic
Red Tape
According to a study on government bureaucracy in
facilitating business by Endi Haryono (2011), the nature
and performance of Malaysian government bureaucracies
are connected with the past experiences under the
colonial administrations, political cultures, and socio-
political contexts.

8
Working in Silos and
Low Level of Engagement
Ministries and Government Agencies in Malaysia are
bound to conform to different jurisdictions. They will limit
their individual interest according to their department,
agency and ministry. This absence of integration of
functions or cross-agency structure contributes to
working in silos which leads to communication
breakdown within the organisation and also between
agencies.

9
Lack of Coaching and
Mentoring
A succession planning process will not be successful if an
organisation fails in developing a pool of leadership
talent. Lacking of coaching and mentoring between the
senior and junior government officials has been identified
as one of the factor that causes failure in developing
leadership talent.

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 The Trajectory of
the Public Service
Transformation in
Malaysia
KRI-OPDC
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
BALI, INDONESIA
13-15 MARCH 2019
Malaysia’s Reform Journey
in Retrospect

1960-2003 2004-mid 2018 mid 2018 -

Efficiency and Quality Performance Management Performance and

Improvement Era and Measurement Era Productivity Era
[Siddiquee, N. A., Xavier, J. A., & Mohamed, M. Z. (2019)]

TRANSFORMATION ERAS
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 Strategic Thrust 2:
Re-Engineering Public
Organisations

Strategic Thrust 1: Strategic Thrust 3:

Revitalising Public Enhancing Service
Servants Delivery

Strategic Thrust 4:
Inclusiveness and
Ownership
KRI-OPDC Strategic Thrust 5:
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP Enculturing Shared
BALI, INDONESIA Values
The Public Service
13-15 MARCH 2019

Transformation Framework
Public Sector Transformation
Transformation 1.0
• Restructuring of 66 government
agencies
• Development of Portal 1Malaysia
Retirement Civil Service Support
• Introducing exit policy for non-
performers public servants.
Transformation 2.0
• The transformation initiatives were
cascade down to the ministerial level
programme.
• Initiatives that were carried out at the
ministerial level is expected to be more
citizen-centric and focusing on
enhancing the efficiency as well as
productivity through strategic
collaboration among ministries and
agencies.
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 Public Sector Reform
in the New Malaysia
KRI-OPDC
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
BALI, INDONESIA
13-15 MARCH 2019
 Public Sector Reform in
the New Malaysia

Performance &
Productivity Era 16
Quick Win Initiatives

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 identify the expertise and
skills required in the public
service beyond the year
2020

 formulating policies
related to human resource
management and
development based on
efficient good governance.

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 Thank You
Dr. Rosslina Ahmad Mokhtar
+603-8885 3012
rosslina@jpa.gov.my
www.jpa.gov.my
KRI-OPDC
REFORM POLICY SYMPOSIUM
& REGIONAL WORKSHOP
BALI, INDONESIA
13-15 MARCH 2019