Public Service Seminar And Games Reaffirm Malaysia-Singapore Ties - Chief Secretary

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz

SINGAPORE, July 19 (Bernama) -- The 10th Joint Seminar and 41st Public Service Games between Malaysia and Singapore held from July 18 to 20 in Singapore continues to serve as a platform to reaffirm the relations between public services of both countries.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the programme has been resumed following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Traditionally, it has been hosted by Malaysia and Singapore in turns.

Among others, he said, delegates at this round of the programme exchanged views on how to better deliver public services for the benefit of all.

“Last held in 2018 in Malaysia and stopped due to COVID-19, we decided to reactivate the two programmes this year after six years of absence to rejuvenate the ties between public sector leaders from both countries,” he told Bernama during a dinner reception hosted by the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore, Datuk Dr Azfar Mohamad Mustafar, at Rumah Malaysia on Friday.

Shamsul Azri said the seminar themed ‘Leading Change: A Trusted and Effective Public Service for the 21st Century’ saw the exchange of views on three main focus areas, namely economic reform and regulation, social reform, and public sector reform towards empowering a nimble and high-impact public service.

He said through the programme, Malaysia intends to learn from the Singapore public service, in particular in the areas of the republic’s digitalisation and public service reform effort.

“Singapore’s civil service has been ranked as number one in Oxford University’s Blavatnik Index of Public Administration. So, we hope to learn from them how to be more efficient and effective,” Shamsul Azri said.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Department, the 41st Public Service Games saw delegates battle it out in bowling and table tennis and took place in full muhibbah and sporting spirit.

Malaysia’s delegation was led by Shamsul Azri, accompanied by senior officials from federal and state governments, including chief secretaries of ministries and state government secretaries.

The Singapore delegation was led by Mr Leo Yip, accompanied by permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, and senior officials of the government of Singapore.

-- BERNAMA