Govt agencies abroad will share offices next year, says Anwar

MALAYSIAN tourism and investment agencies operating overseas will share offices next year to save cost, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. 

The prime minister said beginning January 1, 2025, the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry, the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry (Miti), the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) would all be under one roof. 

Matrade and Mida are agencies under Miti. 

“For example, we have a Tourism Board, we also have Matrade and Miti. All these have their respective offices overseas besides our respective embassies. 

“All their offices overseas will be merged under one roof to save cost.” 

“The economy and technology have advanced but we have continued to think and work using the old ways,” Anwar said in a speech at a civil service assembly in Putrajaya this morning. 

Anwar told civil servants in a special address in Putrajaya that they needed to consider returns on investments when operating to prevent losses of taxpayers’ money. 

Anwar said the government would also optimise its human resources by transferring staff members with job scopes that were redundant or no longer relevant to another career scheme. 

The employees that would be affected by this move include locomotive drivers, hostel managers, wireless operators, and make-up artists. 

“This will help give them a better career pathway and wider mobility,” the prime minister added. – August 15, 2024.