Department Heads Must Be Cybersecurity Literate, Review Continuity Plans - KSN

KLANG, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said all department heads must have a high level of cybersecurity literacy, review their business continuity plans and ensure that official documents are handled with full discipline and without compromise.

He said the government takes a firm stand that security must be given serious and comprehensive attention to protect national sovereignty, the resilience of strategic sectors and the safety of the people.

"The existing security management and crisis response mechanisms must be continuously refined, particularly in cross-agency coordination and rapid information sharing.

"These must also cover clarity of roles and the ability to act immediately when faced with any threat," he said during the closing ceremony of the Seminar on Public Delivery System and Governance Reform: Lessons from Court Cases - Strengthening Governance and Administration to Prevent Repeated Mistakes, here today.

Also present at the ceremony was Selangor State Secretary Datuk Dr Ahmad Fadzli Ahmad Tajuddin.

Elaborating on the country's preparedness against security threats, Shamsul Azri said international conflicts showed that threats now involved not only conventional warfare but also cyber attacks, the spread of false information, sabotage of critical infrastructure and disruption to supply chains.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also addressed the matter when he presented a statement on national security preparedness amid geopolitical conflict and regional and international security tensions in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

These efforts include ensuring that the country's food, water and energy supplies are sufficient and uninterrupted.

On disaster management, Shamsul Azri said the floods in Selangor were not caused solely by natural phenomena or extraordinary rainfall, but also reflected governance aspects that required attention.

"How far does the integrity of public servants go in ensuring that every sen of flood mitigation allocations is spent without leakage, that development planning approvals do not sacrifice water catchment areas, and that the maintenance of drains or rivers is monitored regularly?

"Therefore, I have directed the Department of Irrigation and Drainage and all related agencies to act faster and more proactively through a whole-of-government approach and to stop working in silos," he said.

-- BERNAMA