KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor wants the state civil service to make the year 2022 the starting point to change how it works and communicates in order to uplift the Sabah government’s image.

       Besides the shift in mindset on the work process and communications, Hajiji said civil servants must also step up with better and bold ideas to improve the delivery of the state’s Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) development plan.

       He said this was in line with the government’s target of creating an investor-friendly state especially to attract foreign investment.

       “We want to bring in more foreign investors and ensure the process is simplified while at the same time ensuring the civil service’s delivery system is improved,” he said here on Tuesday (June 14).

       “This will provide confidence to the international community over the investment prospects here which will subsequently enhance Sabah’s economy.”

       Hajiji was speaking during the launch of the Sabah Public Sector Innovation Awards 2021 (ISAS 2021) ceremony at Menara Kinabalu here on Tuesday.

       The Chief Minister said the Sabah civil service must be on par or become a shining example to other states in Malaysia.

       As such, he hoped the state and federal secretaries' offices could collaborate with each other to start the ball rolling over the mindset shift this year.

       He said all heads of state and federal departments must be the catalyst to spur change among the civil servants.

       “The heads of departments play such a significant role in spearheading innovation in the agencies they lead,” he said.

       Meanwhile, Hajiji said the civil service was the backbone behind development in the state as well as the primary instigator of the SMJ development plan.

       As such, he said he supported the ISAS 2021as a means to motivate the public sector to improve the state’s delivery system as well as implement the SMJ plan.

       “If we are lazy and unable to adapt to change, then we will be left behind especially in the digital era now.

       “In an effort to innovate the state’s delivery system, civil servants must be more alert and responsive to the needs of the people,” Hajiji said.