PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today directed all ministries and government departments to expedite the shift to online processes as part of ongoing bureaucratic reforms.
He said that artificial intelligence (AI) could be utilised to prepare draft responses to official correspondence, which officers would then refine.
The digitalisation drive also applies to the Cabinet to save time, improve service quality, and reduce administrative red tape that burdens the public.
Anwar stressed that implementing national digital systems must be carried out seriously and consistently, rather than remain mere rhetoric without tangible performance improvements.
“I therefore urge all ministry secretaries-general and director-generals to ensure that all processes are conducted online, unless they are bound by legal requirements,” he said during the Prime Minister’s Department Monthly Assembly and 2026 New Year Address today.
The assembly was attended by Cabinet members, including Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and Transport Minister Anthony Loke, as well as Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Public Service Department Director-General Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
Meanwhile, Anwar said the quality of public service delivery must align with the implementation of the improved Public Service Remuneration System (SSPA), as people are entitled to faster, more efficient services.
The public has the right to demand improvements, given that the government has implemented SSPA adjustments that entail an additional expenditure of RM18 billion.
He said among the issues that must be rectified immediately are excessively long waiting times at government departments, delayed responses, the need to complete numerous forms, and the inconvenience of moving back and forth between departments to resolve a single matter.
“The people ask questions, and they have every right to do so. They expect that the quality of service must be more efficient and faster.
“Having to wait a long time for replies, filling out dozens of forms just to resolve one issue, and going from one department to another; all these bureaucratic hurdles must be corrected,” Anwar said.
