LETTERS: Kudos to the Government for launching the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), thereby charting the nation’s development for the next five years.
As a former officer of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister’s Department who was actively involved in the mid-term review of the 6th Malaysia Plan and then the 7th Malaysia Plan, let me share with readers my experience.
A key ingredient of the successful implementation of the various policy frameworks, programmes and projects is project initiation and execution.
Usually the Ministries and their agencies – implementers of the initiatives will take some time to ‘warm up’ and internalise what exactly needs to be done. It is normal for inertia and lethargy to set in initially. Some don’t even know how and when to begin.
The Ministries have five (supposedly long) years to implement their respective projects. With a “we have five years and that’s plenty of time” attitude, the sense of urgency in wanting to implement the project as soon as possible takes a back seat. Meanwhile they carry on with their normal administrative and operational responsibilities to the detriment of fresh programmes and projects in the Plan.
The key purpose of project initiation is to draw up a project execution plan which is vital to get the ball rolling in terms of expeditious implementation – the sooner this is done the better. There will be a need for a detailed outline of the initial steps to be taken for the project for instance conduct of feasibility studies and choice of project site/s. Usually, a Steering Inter-Ministerial Committee chaired by the Secretary General or the Director General of the department/agency will be established by the lead Ministry.
Among other things, the initial meeting will define the project deliverables, the scope of the project and who is supposed to do what. It is gratifying to note that our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has indicated that relevant stakeholders such as the corporate sector, academia and members of the public should be invited to join in.
It is important that stakeholders have a clear idea of the objectives of the programme and what their role is, what are the project delivery outcomes and in what way they can assist in meeting the objectives.
A key aspect in the execution is the definite time lines which I feel is one of the weakest links. It is normal for the time lines to be ignored – excuse after excuse is given. Seldom are officers made accountable.
Without a strong Chairman at the helm, the project will not take off expeditiously and project postponements become common.
The current working culture is such that there is no penalty, punishment or reprimand from the higher ups if the Chairman is weak and fails to pull up his/her socks. As a result, the project gets delayed resulting in cost overruns.
The rakyat is affected. Inevitably such projects are moved to the next plan. When senior officers are promoted to another Ministry and have to take charge of subject matters that are alien to them and understandably it will take time for them to learn.
Periodic progress reports have to be submitted but what appears on paper may not reflect what actually is happening on the ground! Therefore, it is important that EPU officers ‘turun padang’ on a regular basis to get a feel of the project and also appreciate some of the challenges and concerns of the project implementer.
Some projects appear perfect on paper but not when it is implemented. More often than not, it is only during the mid-term review of the 5-Year Plan that the Ministries and agencies finally ‘wake up’ and realise that there is not much time left and plenty to do. Then things get done in a rush and hurriedly which has its pitfalls.
Like it or not, Heads of Ministries and Departments have to be made accountable. It would be good for them to have an SOP too.
The Chairman of the various Steering Committees not only have to show keen interest and enthusiasm in the implementation of the projects but also adopt a hands-on approach (and not rely too much on their subordinates all the time). In addition, he must be a fully energised motivator to boost team morale and acknowledge milestones due to good team effort.
These are extraordinary times (with Covid-19 still in our midst), and therefore extraordinary efforts are required. The senior government officials will have to demonstrate ‘leadership by example’ as well as display a sense of urgency to ensure the successful implementation and execution of the 12MP in five years’ time. This is a tall order but achievable. -NST