Turn GovTech report into immediate action, public service told

PUTRAJAYA, July 22 — Heads of Departments, agency leaders and secretaries-general of ministries were today urged to immediately translate the recommendations of the Malaysia GovTech Flagship Report into action, said Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

Speaking at the launch of the report here today, he said reform must be visible, measurable and impactful, and called on government leaders to make full use of the report’s findings, discuss them with their leadership teams and “translate its recommendations into immediate action.”

“Meaningful transformation begins with just one decision to improve, whether by simplifying a process, removing an unnecessary requirement or making a service easier for the rakyat,” he said, adding that the next phase of Malaysia’s digital transformation is no longer about digitising isolated services, but creating greater public value through a structured Whole-of-Government (WoG) ecosystem.

In supporting this transition, Shamzul Azri said the government has institutionalised GovTech Malaysia under the Ministry of Digital to engineer the Government Integrated Digital Services Gateway, implemented through the MyGOV Malaysia platform.

He said the single, highly secure mobile gateway would provide a seamless and uniform User Interface and Experience (UI/UX) for the rakyat while breaking down administrative silos and optimising public resources.

“The vital question before us is no longer ‘How digital are we?’ The real question is: ‘How much better has the Government become because of digital transformation?” he said.

Shamsul Azri said the focus should be on whether digital transformation has reduced the time citizens spend dealing with the government and made it easier for businesses to invest and grow.

Elaborating further, he said Malaysia has more than 1.6 million public servants, making the public service one of the country’s largest institutions with every improvement in the way government operates with the potential in hand to positively impact millions of Malaysians every day.

He also shared that the government has already laid a strong foundation through initiatives such as MyDigital ID, wider adoption of MyGovCloud and the expansion of paperless public services.

Meanwhile, Shamsul Azri stressed that technology alone cannot transform organisations.

“Technology does not transform organisations. People do. Technology simply enables people to perform better,” he said.

Shamsul Azri said successful digital transformation depends heavily on leadership, people and culture, adding that leadership should not be measured by the number of digital initiatives approved but by whether those initiatives improve the lives of the people.

“This responsibility does not fall on the Ministry of Digital alone. It is the responsibility of every ministry, every department, and every public servant,” he said.

He said citizens experience “One Government” rather than one ministry at a time, making it essential for agencies to break down institutional silos, share data responsibly and design services around the needs of the rakyat.

He added that history would not judge the government by the number of digital systems it developed, but by whether the lives of Malaysians became better because of the decisions made today. — Bernama