Government Transformation Programme (Malaysia)

The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) is the blueprint in Malaysia unveiled on 28 January, 2010 by the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Key Performance Indicators

Immediately after assuming the office of Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Ser Najib Tun Razak introduced a series of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in order to measure and improve the efficiency and quality of government services as well as realizing the 1Malaysia concept. Najib said that KPIs were implemented to ensure “the people’s satisfaction...whether they are satisfied with our service, whether we have solved their problems.” ^[1]

Najib's announcement of the KPI effort was generally well-received. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the KPI formula was a yardstick against which the people could measure the performance of Najib and the government. He said the KPIs would provide motivation for every minister to perform well.^[2]

The KPIs provide a mechanism for the evaluation of ministries and other government agencies including performance reviews carried out every six months. Each ministry has been required to establish specific KPIs including that focus on policy outcomes over the traditional emphasis on inputs typically found in government performance assessments and planning. KPIs include detailed job descriptions and goals for ministers, deputy ministers, and some other senior government officials.^[3]

National Key Result Areas

Najib has identified six major policy areas in which KPIs will play an especially important role in improving the effectiveness of the Malaysian government. These are known as National Key Result Areas (NKRAs). The NKRAs include crime prevention, reducing government corruption, increased access to quality education, improvements in the standard of living for low income groups, upgrades to rural infrastructure, and improvements in public transportation.^[4]

Crime reduction

The government is working to reduce the crime rate with a special focus on street crime, improve the perception of safety and policing through increased volunteer activity and public participation in public safety and policing, and improve the overall performance and professionalism of the criminal justice system. Efforts against street crime have been targeted at 50 high crime areas. Numerous additional police and security personnel have been assigned to patrol these areas and CCTV systems have been installed.^[5] The government claims a 32% reduction in street crime during the first two months of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.^[6]

Street crime was 37% lower and overall crime was 16.24% lower in August of 2010 on a year-on-year basis. Pemandu attributed the drop to an increased police presence on the street and a special emphasis on policing high crime areas. Per the requirements of the crime reduction NKRA, 372,550 Rakan Cop members and 105,850 Skim Rondaan Sukarela members, and 6,791 police officers have been moved to patrol duties with 3,814 civilians taking over police desk jobs.^[7]

Fighting corruption

The government is working to increase public trust in government, reduce fraud and waste in government procurement, and combat what it calls "grand corruption." The government has begun prosecutions of elected officials and civil servants, regardless of party affiliation. Whistleblower legislation and improved transparency in government contracts are key components of this effort. The government is also working to pass legislation to require those suspected of corruption to be brought to trial within one year. Performance will be assessed using Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index.^[8]

Improving student outcomes

In order to improve education the Malaysian government is working to enhance pre-school enrollment rates among four and five-year-olds, ensure that children attain basic math skills and literacy after three years of education, develop high-performing key schools while improving the overall quality of education, and significantly improve the performance of teachers and administrators using "performance management."^[9]

Raising living standards of low income households

This NKRA requires a standard definition of who qualifies as a low income household, "fast, high impact" efforts to alleviate "hardcore poverty" and putting "enablers" in place to further anti-poverty initiatives. By improving coordination among government agencies the time it takes for a household to apply for benefits has been reduced to seven days. It was previously two months. 44,000 low cost homes have been offered offered for sale to their tenants at below market rates.^[10]

Improving rural basic infrastructure

Malaysia's population is 35% rural. Many villages still lack roads, electricity and access to clean water. The government plans to build or upgrade more than 7,000 kilometers of roads, provide 50,000 homes to the "rural and hardcore" poor, ensure access to safe water supplies for 360,000 households and extend electricity to 140,000 households, all before the end of 2012. ^[11]

Improving urban public transport

Public transportation in Malaysia is often inconvenient, unreliable, crowded, and late. The government's goal is to increase the percentage of commuters using public transit during the morning commute from 13% in 2010 to 25% in 2012 in the Klang Valley. Making public transit more reliable, comfortable, and convenient are also key goals.^[12]

Unity and Performance Minister

Najib has created a new cabinet position to support the Unity and Performance Minister in implementing the KPI system. Idris Jala, the former CEO of Malaysia Airlines, was appointed Minister Without a Portfolio and CEO of Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), to work with Dr. Koh Tsu Koon in training over 500 government officers to implement the KPI system. As CEO of Pemandu Idris will support the work of Koh, who is the minister in charge of National Unity and Performance Management.^[13]

In December 2010, it was reported that the cost to set up PEMANDU was RM 66 million, of which RM 47 million was paid to foreign consultants - RM 36 million went to the US consulting firm, McKinsey & Company and RM 11 million to the Hay Group, a US human resource management firm.^[14]

References

1. ^ [Press Release, Prime Minister's Office, http://www.pmo.gov.my/?menu=newslist&news_id=58&page=1731&news_cat=13]
2. ^ [Najib Sets The Pace For Transformation In Administration, by Sophia Ahmad, Bernama, December 11th, 2009]
3. ^ [Press Release, Prime Minister's Office, http://www.pmo.gov.my/?menu=newslist&news_id=58&page=1731&news_cat=13]
4. ^ [KPIs to measure PS performance, PSnews, http://www.psnews.com.au/worldpsn1852.html]
5. ^ [Early progress on reducing crime achieved, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=202&Itemid=130&lang=en]
6. ^ [Parliament: Crime Reduced by Nearly 1,000 Cases, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=424%3Aparliament-crime-reduced-by-nearly-1000-cases&catid=56%3Acrime&Itemid=130&lang=en]
7. ^ Drop in street crime rate, The Star, 14 September 2010
8. ^ [Fighting corruption, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=140&lang=en]
9. ^ [Improving student outcomes, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=139&lang=en]
10. ^ [Raising living standards of low income households, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=203&Itemid=132&lang=en]
11. ^ [Improving rural basic infrastructure, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=204&Itemid=133&lang=en]
12. ^ [Improving urban public transport, Government Transformation Programme, http://www.transformation.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72&Itemid=98&lang=en]
13. ^ [Najib makes Idris Jala minister to run KPIs unit, The Malaysian Insider, http://my-1.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/36173-najib-makes-idris-jala-minister-to-run-kpis-unit-]
14. ^ [McKinsey paid RM36 mil to set up Pemandu, Malaysiakini, http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/149861-]