PUTRAJAYA, May 9 — Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali said it is important for Cabinet ministers to continue working as a team alongside the civil servants.
He said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had emphasised this in his speech to mark the first anniversary of Malaysia Baharu earlier today.
“I think to be fair, they (the ministers) are quite new in the Cabinet. But I must say they learned very fast,” Azmin said at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre where the speech was given.
He added the new ministers have tried to adapt to the new situation where Pakatan Harapan (PH) is the government of the day, which he said has made good progress.
“The prime minister has given advice repeatedly on this, and they are trying their level best to give the best service.
“The important thing is for today’s leadership to reject bribery, nor be involved in abuse of power. This in turn can guarantee a better future,” Azmin said.
On Dr Mahathir’s speech, he said the prime minister has given a definition of Malaysia Baharu, as one where the administration adheres to the principles of accountability, integrity and being people-oriented.
“For with accountability and integrity, the new administration is confident it can recover the national economy and give new energy to Malaysia so it can rise again as an Asian Tiger.
“The prime minister also elucidated on the seven main cores of shared economic prosperity, since the country is rich in resources, but this was not shared fairly among the rakyat, especially those in the outskirts or rural areas,” Azmin said.
He said the vision is to reduce the income gap among the urban-rural divide, with some of the cores having already begun to be implemented.
“This will continue on, and we can guarantee a Malaysia Baharu that is prosperous in the future,” Azmin said.
