STAR Meeting To Enhance Flood Readiness, Public Service Reforms

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- A structured and efficient flood-management agenda for public well-being and national preparedness for the 2025/2026 Northeast Monsoon was among the key issues raised at the 10th meeting of the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR) today.

Chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, the meeting heard a briefing from the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) on the current flood situation, which has already affected several states and displaced thousands of families to temporary relief centres (PPS).

“To strengthen response efforts and support affected victims, the government has channelled RM57 million, covering compassionate aid and disaster-response allocations. Rescue assets and logistics have also been mobilised earlier as a mitigation measure in anticipation of unusually heavy rainfall driven by the La Niña phenomenon,” STAR said in a statement.

Beyond flood preparedness, STAR also reviewed a range of high-impact improvement measures to enhance the efficiency of public services.

Among these is a new model to boost the capacity of drug-testing laboratories, combining upgrades to Health Ministry facilities, expanded functions for the Chemistry Department and regulated use of private laboratories to shorten test-verification periods from the current 60 to 90 days to just 10 days.

On government communications, STAR noted that the Communications Ministry presented a plan to strengthen Corporate Communication Units (UKK) across ministries and agencies to ensure policy messages delivered to the public are clearer, more accurate and consistent.

“A comprehensive two-month study will commence immediately to design a more robust UKK model that is responsive to media and public demands,” STAR said.

The meeting was also briefed on the forthcoming Circular on Government Service Efficiency Commitments, which will support the enforcement of Act 867 beginning Dec 1.

The circular will serve as a primary reference to reduce at least 25 per cent of the government’s regulatory burden while strengthening discipline and accountability in the public sector through the implementation of Bureaucratic Red Tape Reform (RKB).

Commenting on the reform frameworks presented, Shamsul Azri stressed that the government’s priority is to ensure reforms translate into tangible outcomes that directly benefit the people.

“Reform is a necessity. What matters is not merely policy, but the results that people can feel through government actions that are swift, accurate and impactful,” he said.

-- BERNAMA