PM: 2 months to grasp nitty gritty
14/04/2007 NST By Eileen Ng and Nisha Sabanayagam

KUALA LUMPUR: Government officers will have two months to grasp the "ins and outs" of the new initiatives introduced in the construction industry.

The learning period will also be supported by intensive courses to provide practical and detailed guidance to ensure that the implementing officers thoroughly understand all the rules and regulations involved, right down to the nitty gritty.

The 60-day time frame was given by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to state and district and local council officers who will be implementing the initiatives, formed to improve the delivery system of the public sector, specifically in the property industry.

During the same period, an inspectorate committee, formed under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, will be monitoring the implementation of the initiatives.

"This is to ensure they (the government officers) will truly understand how to fill out all the forms, rules and bylaws and the methods that need to be carried out," he said.

In his speech at the launch of the conference to improve the public service delivery system, Abdullah said the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan would head the special programme to administer the courses.

Each course should not take more than three days, said Abdullah, to ensure that all government servants involved were properly trained.

Abdullah said as the most basic implementors of the new initiatives, local government officials played an important role with wide impact.

As such, if services could be made more quick and efficient at the local council level, then a lot of the current gripes of the investors, businessmen, consumers and the public about the public service could be overcome, he added.

Meanwhile, Abdullah said the implementation status of each local authority would be reported to the cabinet by the inspectorate committee at the end of the two-month period, which would be considered proof of commitment and sincerity of the local councils.

He said the significance of the report was such that he had requested the housing ministry to come up with a Key Performance Index (KPI) to monitor the local councils for long term in a holistic manner, as promised in the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

"The monitoring is necessary if the KPIs are to be reached by all," he said.