Helping people top priority of civil servants
PUTRAJAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday instructed civil servants to accord top priority to efforts to help the people in this difficult period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The prime minister said they should expedite the process of delivering aid to the people.
“They (the people) cannot wait too long. Even a delay by one day may deny them food on the table. The same goes for applications from traders, entrepreneurs and investors. Simplify the process for them to invest, start and revive their respective businesses,” he said in his One-Year Malaysia Prihatin Keynote Address, here.
The event, to mark Muhyiddin’s first anniversary in office as the prime minister, was a hybrid occasion with virtual attendance as well as physical presence of Cabinet ministers and the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali.
Muhyiddin said all government plans demand commitment and cooperation from a civil service that is efficient, caring and of integrity.
He said the government and civil servants are inseparable and the close relationship between them enabled the country to achieve success after success in the face of various obstacles.
He also said that government leaders, regardless of whether they are politicians or civil servants, have the responsibility of protecting the people and according them fair and just treatment.
“Similarly, GLCs (governmentlinked companies) and statutory bodies must implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes to help people in difficulty. This is the time for all of us to give back to the society.
“I have received many applications from traders who want to be exempted from paying rental for the premises they occupy in GLCs. Consider these applications as best as you can,” he said, adding that many traders have suffered losses and need assistance to save their businesses and rise again.
Muhyiddin also expressed gratitude to all frontliners for their support which he said produced positive results for the government measures to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infections of the first wave, contain the second wave and reduce the positive cases in the third wave.
The prime minister said the country’s health system has remained resilient and has become more effective in treating Covid-19 patients, as reflected in the lowest death rate in the world of under 0.4 per cent and a recovery rate of over 90 per cent.
He also said that the Health Ministry is ready to ensure that at least 126,000 people are vaccinated daily free of charge against Covid19 at the 600 vaccination locations nationwide to achieve the target of immunising 80 per cent of the population or 26 million people.
“Insya-Allah (God willing), with the Movement Control Order still in force, continued compliance with the SOPs and the rollout of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, we will be able to flatten the curve of Covid-19 infections in our country over the next few months,” he said. - Bernama