Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for all technical issues involving various government agencies related to national development projects to be resolved promptly to ensure smooth implementation.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar emphasized the importance of addressing issues involving the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy, Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department, state governments, implementing agencies, and project owners through the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR). This task force is chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Anwar stated, “The MADANI government must act more proactively, operate efficiently and focus on decisive solutions. Every ringgit allocated under the Malaysia Plan must be optimised for the well-being of the people,” after chairing the National Development Action Council Meeting.
The meeting centered on three main matters: outcomes of the Special State Development Meeting, improvements in project implementation by the Public Works Department (JKR), and the implementation of vertical schools in major urban areas.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, highlighted the need to avoid delays in project implementation and bureaucratic hurdles that have been present since the 1980s. “We cannot afford to repeat the same failures. Time does not wait for us, and the people demand action, not excuses,” Anwar stressed.
He further addressed the need to tackle the realities of increasingly dense urban development, committing the government to introducing a new approach to educational infrastructure through vertical school models in urban locations like Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Penang. Anwar noted, “With the support of private developers, the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) and the Ministry of Education will work closely to ensure the success of this initiative, so that access to quality education remains assured for urban children despite limited space.”