DON'T BE COMPLACENT WITH BEING 10TH MOST COMPETITIVE COUNTRY, SAYS M'SIAN GOVT CHIEF SEC

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia should not be contented or
complacent with its achievement as the 10th most competitive country in the
world but must strive to improve further, Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd
Sidek Hassan said Friday.
He said that while Malaysia had done well even compared with countries like
New Zealand, neverthless, improving further was an "unfinished business" and in
this context, there was a need for improvement from all segments of the country.

"It requires further improvement of the country's public sector delivery
system, further improvement of the private sector, of it own service delivery as
well as from the people at large," he told reporters.
Earlier, in his talk on "Universal Ethics in a Plural Society" at the
Thought Leadership Workshop organised by the Muslim Council of Britain here,
Mohd Sidek said that although Malaysia was ahead of countries like China, Italy
and New Zealand in the competitiveness ranking, this was still not good enough.
He was referring to Malaysia's achievement in becoming the world's 10th most
competitive nation, from 18th previously, in the World Competitiveness Yearbook
2010.
He said that for Malaysia to better its ranking, the public sector must
improve further to make it easier to do business in the country and to make it
easier for other nations to interact with Malaysia.
"These are the challenges...and I believe we are ready for it."
On his speech where he stressed that public sector jobs in the country,
which were once seen as safe, were no longer so, he said that in today's
globalised world, only merit counted.
Mohd Sidek said that now there were more and more people from outside, such
as from the government linked companies (GLCs) and even the corporate world,
coming to serve in the government service and this would make those in the
public service more competitive.
He also said in his speech that Malaysia had a lot more work to do in
zeroing hardcore poverty by end of this year, increasing its 88 per cent
literacy rate to 100 per cent and eradicating corruption both in the public and
private sectors.
The other challenges he listed were pulling in new kinds of talents and
raising the standard of home talents, creating new market opportunities through
innovation and raising economic standards to high-income model
and no longer being trapped as a middle-income nation.
The government's policy at all levels of administration had been
equitability in the face of equality, he said.
"We work hard to eradicate poverty across communities, provide education for
all, regardless of race, colour, creed and gender. Women have equal
opportunities to men, again irrespective of race or creed. We are probably one
of the few countries in the world that pride themselves in having women in key
positions in the country," he added.
Touching on the plural society, Mohd Sidek said that ultimately, what
counted in a plural society was public interest -- interest of the common good.
"Our great minds, and great inventions and sciences, and for that matter
great organisations and institutions, will not bear relevance if they do not and
cannot secure peace at every level of our society. This can only be achieved
through inclusiveness."
On Islam, he said the history of Islam was once led by innovation,
creativity and success but "today we are credited with being defensive, seiged
in our thinking, and our societies are seen irrelevant to the rules of
contemporary times -- to the days of the 21st Century."
He said Malaysia had been very active in addressing issues within the Muslim
communities globally.
"We have often risen to any ideas and initiatives that will address
predicaments in Muslim communities, without hesitation. But for us, the remit is
beyond just the Muslim agenda globally. It is to ensure that the plural society
which we live in is at peace with itself and nature," he added.
-- BERNAMA