KOTA KINABALU:
Inefficiency in the Government Departments and agencies must be addressed immediately as it has resulted in delay of development projects which sometimes stretches up to a year. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who stressed this yesterday, said: “The allocations have been approved but due to some glitches, the implementation is either delayed or the projects could not be carried out on time. “Sometimes, the allocation given has to be brought forward, so when there is an increase in allocation from the Government, it is not necessarily an increase as the amount has been brought forward from the year before,” he said. Stressing that this is such a waste, Musa said the inefficiency is depriving the people of better development. It is important to identify the source of the problem so that immediate solution can be found to overcome it, he said during the Chief Minister’s Department/Finance Ministry’s monthly gathering at the Tun Ahmad Raffae Auditorium, Tun Mustapha Tower here. Musa said that setting up one- stop centres would be probably the best solution. “With such centres, everything can be done faster and the development projects can be implemented timely for the good of the State and the people,” he said. He said that the revival of State Development Office (SDO) to replace the disbanded Sabah Federal Development Department (JPPS) brings greater responsibility to all Government departments and agencies, especially those involving the implementation of development projects in Sabah. “Apart from directly channeling allocations to the implementation agencies, the move also entails improvement in efficiency and coordination to ensure development projects could be carried out more effectively for the benefit of the target groups,” he said. The Chief Minister urged all civil servants to be more dedicated to earn the people’s trust, especially the rural folks, in their ability to implement and manage development projects in the State. The current situation, where the world is facing slow economic growth in the wake of food crisis and escalating fuel prices, poses a greater challenge to the Government and it requires everyone to be rational and prudent, he said. “We have also taken measures to minimise expenses. In fact, prudent spending is nothing new to the State Government as it has long been our practice, and as a result, we have managed to strengthen our financial position. “All civil servants must play their role to ensure there is no wastage. We would have to cut down unnecessary expenses without affecting productivity and delivery system. I believe this can be done since good governance and being thrifty have long existed in the administration,” said Musa.
