CIVIL servants in Malaysia must remain competitive, creative and highly innovative in order to navigate an increasingly challenging global environment, according to the country’s top civil servant.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said that while Malaysia has made progress in international rankings, including placing 23rd out of 69 countries in global competitiveness and 34th out of 139 countries in the Global Innovation Index, such improvements must not lead to complacency.
“History shows that many civilisations around the world have fallen due to complacency.
“In the context of a volatile global landscape, Malaysia as a small trading nation is not immune to the spillover effects of global crises,” he said while speaking at the closing ceremony of the Public Sector Innovation Programme 2026 at the MBSA Convention Centre in Shah Alam on Tuesday.
He warned that history has shown how civilisations can decline as a result of complacency, stressing that the current global environment demands constant adaptation and forward thinking from the public sector.
Shamsul Azri also highlighted the impact of geopolitical tensions in West Asia, noting that they have contributed to significant increases in global crude oil prices, which have risen to around US$101.9 per barrel compared with previous levels of US$50 to US$60.
“The impact is that government subsidy expenditure has increased sharply from RM700 million to RM2.9 billion and has now surged to RM6 billion a month,” he said.
Despite rising fiscal pressure, he reaffirmed that the government continues to maintain subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel in order to shield citizens from escalating living costs.
He added that innovation in the public sector is no longer optional but a critical necessity, requiring government agencies to become more agile, adaptive and future-focused in their operations.
Among key priorities, he said, are the wider use of data analytics to anticipate public needs and comprehensive digitalisation of government services to improve efficiency and speed up delivery to citizens. - April 14, 2026
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