Developing quality human capital a key focus of Malaysia's Public Service Mandate 2025

Among reform initiatives introduced, is a set of guidelines around human resource management, promoting the concept of coaching or image guidance to help public service officers maximise their professional potential.

The Malaysian Public Service Department (JPA) has launched its 2025 Mandate, a reform initiative to enhance transparency, integrity, and efficiency in government administration.

Announced by Director General of Public Service, YBhg. Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Haji Abdul Aziz, these reforms align with the Public Service Reform Agenda (ARPA) to create a more dynamic and effective public sector.

Presented in September 2024, the ARPA covers five focus areas, which the new 2025 Mandate builds on:

1. Developing quality human capital: Strengthening training programmes through sponsorships, increasing training allocations for ministries, empowering Public Training Institute (ILA) instructors, and implementing a structured coaching framework.
2. Appreciating noble values: Reinforcing national identity through the singing of the Negaraku, pledges, strengthening the Malaysian MADANI framework, and embedding values such as H.E.M.A.T. in governance.
3. Building a dynamic organisation: Appointment of Chief Reform Officers (CROs) to oversee reform initiatives and continuing the rationalisation of civil agencies.
4. Strengthening public and private synergy: Strengthening public-private partnerships in infrastructure, digitalisation, human capital development, automation, welfare initiatives, and policy development.
5. Improving delivery of public services: Introduction of the Public Service Performance Index (IPPA), expansion of the Demerit Performance Evaluation (DEEP) system, and improving the competency of agency communication teams through training programmes.

Digital transformation and talent development

The above aside, JPA also shared that as part of the government's digital transformation agenda, the Department has launched the Retirement and Sponsorship Information Gateway, a comprehensive digital platform designed to improve access to information for civil servants, government retirees, and PSD-sponsored students. Since its development in 2024, the platform has facilitated nine targeted student programmes and 16 sponsorship initiatives, ensuring greater transparency, accessibility, and accuracy.

Further advancing talent development, JPA on the same day introduced the Guidelines of Pandu Citra in Human Resource Management through the National Institute of Public Administration, promoting the concept of coaching or image guidance as a method to guide public officials in maximising their professional potential.

YBhg. Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan highlighted JPA's to improving the capabilities of civil servants through structured guidance such as mentoring, counselling, and consultation.

"Heads of departments and human resource management need to ensure that the culture of guiding this image can develop the potential of civil servants, thereby creating a more open, collaborative, and solution-oriented work culture," he added.