Staff urged to be more active in clarifying current issues

KUALA LUMPUR: Officials of the Ministry of Communication and Multimedia ( KKMM) should be more active in providing information to the public on current issues including the Goods and Services Tax (GST), said its minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Citing the example of the GST which will be implemented on April 1, he said the people must understand and be clear about how the government would spend the taxes collected for their wellbeing.

He said although the implementation of the GST was by a different ministry, KKMM staff must convince the public that paying it was not a burden but a responsibility.

“The challenge for us in the cabinet is the perception that the money collected is for us. No (not the case). The money is collected for us to manage it for the people.

“We, civil servants are only trustees. The more money there is, the easier for us to give it back to the people,” he said at the ministry’s 2014 Excellence Service Award ceremony here yesterday.

Ahmad Shabery also said yesterday, the responsibility of explaining to the public and making them understand required a high level of intelligence.

He said every member of the ministry must have a strong spirit and willing to work extra hours, including to think and come up with answers and solutions to the many questions from the public, as well as providing fresh ideas.

Elaborating further, Ahmad Shabery the country needed the GST as a source of income because it could not go on depending on revenue from commodities like petrol and palm oil.

“The public must understand this and we need an effective way of conveying the information, and this must be done by the KKMM,” he said. — Bernama