A-Level Past Year

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Public-Private Sector Cooperation for Development in Malaysia
MUHAMMAD RAIS BIN ABDUL KARIM, Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) Prime Minister’s Department Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Introduction MALAYSIA’S GROWING competitive edge in the world economy was underscored in The 1995 World Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum and the International Institute of Management based in Geneva. Malaysia ranked as the 21 st most competitive in the world from among 48 countries surveyed and placed third highest among non-Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries, having done remarkably well in many of the eight criteria used to evaluate ‘World Competitiveness’: domestic economic strength, internationalization, government, finance, infrastructure, management, science and technology, and the people. It is worthy to note that in the sphere of government, Malaysia placed fourth overall and third in the Asian region while in the area of transparency, Malaysia was ranked first in the world. Malaysia’s record of achievement noted above could not have taken place without the public and private sectors, as well as non-government organizations (NGOs) and the Academia playing their respective roles in pursuit of national development whether individually, jointly and severally, based on mutual understanding, cooperation, trust and confidence. In general, both the public and the private sectors should be credited for transforming a largely poor and agrarian economy less than four decades ago to a prospering, strong, and competitive industrial base on the threshold of becoming a fully developed nation as the country moves into the 21st century. Public-Private Sector Cooperation for Development: The Malaysian Experience With today’s global environment becoming more and more competitive, Malaysia as a country which depends on international trade to generate its earnings has all the more reason to sharpen its competitive edge. While the Civil Service is widely acknowledged as an important player in the country’s aspirations to push for international competitiveness, the government believes only a firm partnership between the public (i.e., the government and the Civil Service) and the private sectors can ensure realizing this national dream. Through close cooperation and collaboration, the public and private sectors can pool together their scarce resources, skills, technology and all other critical factors to strive for optimal growth and development and hence sustain the competitive edge needed to preserve or even better Malaysia’s role in the international economy. Realizing the benefits that the country can derive from such close intersectoral cooperation, the Malaysian Government introduced in 1983 a new concept in its vocabulary of national development: ‘Malaysia Incorporated’. Representing a new approach to national

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development, the concept calls for closer cooperation and collaboration between the public and the private sectors and perceives the nation as a ‘corporate’ or ‘business entity’ jointly owned by both sectors. As partners in development as well as corporate shareholders, both sectors must work closely with each other and develop mutual understanding to ensure successfully managing the national economy. The concept is based on the philosophy that public-private sector cooperation is a key ingredient for successful national economic development. The rationale for seeking such closer cooperation and collaboration lies in the recognition of the inherent interdependence between the public and private sectors. The private sector forms the commercial and economic arm of the nation, while the public sector provides the major policy framework and direction to enable the private sector to perform well. The more successful the private sector, the larger the number of private businesses, the greater the employment opportunities and the higher the government revenue. This is turn means that more is available to the public sector in discharging its core responsibilities. It is, therefore, a smart partnership since it yields results, which are shared without exception by everyone, not only the public and private sectors as partners in development, but the people and the nation as a whole. Since it was propounded in 1983 by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, ‘Malaysia Incorporated’ (henceforth referred to as Malaysia Inc.) has evolved from one of strategic intent to an operational reality brought about by subsequent development plans and actions, which helped forge a national consensus that the private sector should play a more active role in Malaysia’s development. This consensus was strengthened by the formulation of a long-term development plan called ‘VISION 2020’ which emphasizes the importance of the Malaysia Incorporated Policy in becoming an industrialized nation. The Second Outline Perspective Plan (1991–2000) also stresses Malaysia Inc. as an integral strategy for the attainment of a competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient economy. Intersectoral cooperation as a strategy is expected to produce and sustain the long term high economic growth needed to effectively achieve a fully developed nation status by the year 2020. The Essential Features of the Malaysia Incorporated Concept Malaysia Inc. as a concept is essentially based on bringing about a mutually satisfying relationship encompassing shared values and a sense of common purpose by highlighting the interdependence between the public and the private sectors as the primary components of a single entity — Malaysia as a whole. By removing traditional antagonistic and adversarial relationships — whether real or imagined — between the public and private sectors, both would be encouraged to become congenial partners in national development. Malaysia Inc. calls for both public and private sectors to redefine, develop and operationalize new patterns of thinking and behavior vis-à-vis the other. Furthermore, the concept envisions the Civil Service and the government working closely with the business community with the sole purpose of enabling businesses to carry out their activities smoothly. The primary responsibility of the public sector in this instance is to create a conducive environment that would be catalytic in providing the right impetus for rapid economic growth within the given legal and regulatory framework.

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The Civil Service of Malaysia has responded positively to this challenge by issuing, among others, the Development Administrative Circular No. 9 of 1991 entitled ‘Guidelines on the Implementation of the Malaysia Inc. Policy’.

Policy Implementation The successful implementation of the Malaysia Inc. policy depends a great deal on the ability of both sectors to establish and maintain a relationship based on the spirit of cooperation, mutual understanding and consensus. The private sector must understand the policies, objectives, rules and regulations as well as systems and procedures of the various government agencies it deals with. The public sector must, on the other hand, be sensitive to the needs and goals of the private sector and has a duty to ensure no undue hindrance is put in the way of the private sector. Towards this end, the public sector has introduced various initiatives to ensure that its partner, the private sector, would play the leading role in development. The thrust of these efforts is to create an environment that will spur economic growth and at the same time improve the country’s competitiveness in the international market. Guided by the government’s articulated Malaysia Inc. Policy, the Civil Service undertook these four major initiatives to facilitate private sector development: 1. 2. 3. 4. Strengthening public-private sector working relationships; Improving the quality of public services rendered to the private sector; Improving information dissemination; and Enhancing the understanding of the Malaysia Incorporated Policy among public service personnel.

Following is an elaboration of the Civil Service initiatives just enumerated. Strengthening Public-Private Sector Working Relationships Extensive and intensive public-private sector consultation and cooperation are crucial in promoting an environment that stimulates private enterprise as well as confidence in the economy. Consensus-building through the public-private sector nexus is critical especially in the formulation of effective public policies and strategies that directly affect the private sector. At the same time, the private sector’s input and feedback are important for the policy formulation process. The public sector has taken the lead role in establishing three structural mechanisms necessary to promote intersectoral consultation and cooperation: the establishment of consultative panels; the promotion of dialogue sessions at various levels in the public sector machinery; and the joint sponsorship of formal/informal activities. These mechanisms are discussed below.

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The public sector views the establishment of consultative panels as pivotal in promoting the Malaysia Inc. concept. The interaction at these collaborative panels is expected to generate a network for consultation, discussion and collaboration to allow for representation and participation from all sectors and sub-sectors of the economy. A number of consultative panels have been established in the public service machinery. At the highest level is the Malaysia Inc. Officials’ Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Government and consists of the top echelon of relevant ministries and departments; leaders from the private sector such as heads of chambers of commerce and industry and other business associations; NGOs; and the mass media. Consultative panels have also been established in most ministries and departments at the federal, state and district levels. It is relevant to note that under the Development Administrative Circular No. 9 of 1991 mentioned earlier, it is mandatory to establish such consultative panels. It is gratifying that from feedback received, there are clear indications that these panels have led to the free flow of information and have paved the way for closer rapport and collaboration between the two sectors. For example, business associations such as the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) have given more concrete feedback on problem areas particularly in matters pertaining to trade, business and investments, which spurred the public sector to initiate a number of administrative improvement efforts which have benefitted the private sector. DIALOGUE SESSIONS In addition to the consultative panels, ministries and departments at the federal, state and district levels hold dialogue sessions with the private sector on a regular basis to stimulate intersectoral open discussions with particular emphasis on government policies, rules, regulations and procedures that affect the performance of the business community and to obtain useful feedback for future government policy planning and implementation. A good example of a ministry, which organizes annual dialogue sessions with the private sector, is the Ministry of Finance. Chaired by the Minister of Finance, the dialogue seeks to obtain information and feedback from NGOs, civic groups and private sector representatives. The proposals made and feedback obtained from the sessions are subsequently used as input in the preparation of the annual budget. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Department of Environment, the Department of Land and Mines, and the Department of Agriculture also hold annual dialogue sessions. JOINTLY SPONSORED ACTIVITIES As part of the continuing efforts to further strengthen their close working relationship, both the public and private sectors are also encouraged to organize activities jointly, to promote greater understanding and cooperation between them and to encourage sharing of knowledge and experiences in various fields which are mutually beneficial. There are a number of

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formal activities, which have been organized jointly such as seminars, training and overseas trade missions. Both sectors have also cooperated closely in organizing informal activities, particularly in social events and in sports, a notable example of which is the Malaysia Inc. Games, an event annually held since 1988. Feedback regarding such jointly sponsored activities indicate that they have contributed successfully towards strengthening cooperation between both sectors. In particular, these activities were found to allow leading personalities from the public and private sectors to be closely acquainted and foster congenial personal ties, which consequently facilitate their working together at the official level. IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SERVICES Consultative mechanisms by themselves are inadequate to ensure the successful implementation of the Malaysia Inc. Policy. Improving administrative rules and regulations as well as systems and procedures are integral to fostering greater collaboration. Recognizing the interrelationships between and among structures, systems and procedures as well as the personnel responsible for their functioning, the public sector continues to step up its efforts to improve these dimensions of public administration so as to provide efficient, timely and expeditious service to support and to promote private sector activities. Consequently, the public sector continues to assess its performance through internal reviews of its administrative systems, rules, regulations and procedures consistent with the need to remove excessive red tape and reduce other traditional bureaucratic practices that often hinder the efficient functioning of private sector activities. Various improvements on the administrative machinery have been introduced and some of the major initiatives include streamlining of rules and regulations, upgrading counter services, implementing the Client’s Charter, institutionalizing a paperless culture in the Civil Service, and implementing ISO 9000, all of which are discussed below. STREAMLING RULES AND REGULATIONS In consonance with the strategy of the government to intensify economic growth and expansion, the public sector has been streamlining rules, regulations and procedures aimed at facilitating the private sector’s role in economic development. The exercise focused on improving the system of licensing and permits pertaining to business and investment and yielded the following results: the abolition of obsolete licenses, permits, rules, regulations and laws; the introduction of composite application forms and licenses; the extension of the validity period of licenses; the improvement of the systems and procedures for licensing; and the establishment of more one-stop licensing centers. Forms used by public sector agencies in their dealings with the public were also reviewed to ensure that only information genuinely necessary for decision-making was collected. UPGRADING COUNTER SERVICES Counter services continue to be given emphasis in administrative improvement programs since they represent the frontline of government services. That is, the quality of services provided by the public counters is always subject to scrutiny, and the government is often

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evaluated by the performance of its counter services. The focus of good counter services is the provision of quick, straightforward and timely services to customers with a minimum of inconvenience. To achieve this level of service, these changes have been introduced: the provision of comfortable and spacious waiting rooms, appropriate notice boards and proper queuing systems; improved filing and documentation systems and correspondence procedures; revision of various prerequisite forms and the introduction of more one-stop service centers for the payment of utility bills and processing of licenses resulting in greater accessibility and speedier processing at the public counters. To expedite counter services for investors at the federal and state levels, the government has introduced one-stop investment centers the primary objective of which is to facilitate obtaining information and approval pertaining to investment projects. At the federal level, the positive impact of the one-stop investment center set up at the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA) is evidenced by the shorter processing time and the larger volume of applications processed. CLIENT’S CHARTER The implementation of the Client’s Charter represents the ‘moment of truth’ for the Civil Service in that it provides the private sector with a critical mechanism for evaluating public sector agencies. The Client’s Charter is a written commitment made by all government agencies assuring that the quality of their services will meet the expressed expectations and requirements of private sector customers. The Client’s Charter ultimately aims to create a quality-driven government machinery which is efficient and customer-oriented. The Guidelines on Client’s Charter was issued to assist agencies in formulating and implementing the Charter. To date, 390 Client’s Charters have been formulated and duly implemented by government agencies at all levels, comprising 129 ministries and federal departments, 50 federal statutory bodies, 142 state departments, and 69 local authorities. An important feature contributing to the effectiveness of the Client’s Charter is the ability of an agency to provide a service recovery mechanism in instances where pledges contained in the Charter cannot be fulfilled due to factors such as machine breakdown and technical problems. The public service has introduced this mechanism which is defined as a process that contains a series of detailed planned actions to restore customer satisfaction which has been affected as a result of service failure. To assist government agencies in implementing the mechanism and to provide further information on the concept, specific guidelines on service recovery measures were also issued.
‘PAPER-LESS’ CIVIL SERVICE

Conscious about the overwhelming increase in paper-based documents and the high costs associated with it, the public sector has embarked on creating a ‘paper-less culture’ in its public administration. The objective is to increase the effectiveness of the delivery of services by government agencies to businessmen and the public at large through the utilization of less paper. By having a paperless Civil Service, customers of government agencies need not fill up so many forms or provide so much information in application forms or furnish a large number of copies or supporting documents.

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The public service continues to review its current system of licenses and permits with a view to identifying those agencies whose licenses and permits entail too much paperwork on the part of their customers. At the same time, the public service is looking very closely into appropriate information technologies that can be applied service-wide to reduce paperwork as well as to expedite transaction time. Technologies which are expected to lead to considerable savings in the volume of paper-based documents such as smart cards, imaging and optical storage media will be adopted nationwide in the near future. A major development which has already been in operation is the Electronic Date Interchange (EDI) and the Public Services Network (PSN). EDI is an electronic data interchange-based community system, which enables the business community to transmit business documents via computers. It enables exporters, cargo and forwarding agents, transport operators, banks and insurance agents to do their business transactions electronically with the approving agencies (such as the Royal Customs and Excise Department and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry). Prior to EDI, the Royal Customs and Excise Department, for example, had to deal with a vast volume of paperwork to clear import and export documents for their customers. With the implementation of EDI, the Department has provided the local business community with a competitive edge in trading through reduced operational costs, reduction of cargo clearing time and elimination of redundancies in paperwork. PSN is another facility, which enables government departments to offer their counter services on-line to the public using the computer and network facilities of post offices. Currently there are 187 post offices throughout the country providing PSN facilities for the renewal of driving licenses, the renewal of road taxes, the renewal of business licenses and inquiries on the profiles of businesses. The facility will be expanded in stages and more services will be offered. The target is to make 500 post offices throughout the country provide PSN facilities for the convenience of the public, particularly the private sector. The public sector is also reviewing all types of application forms currently in use to ensure that information sought in application forms is relevant and necessary for more rational decision-making as well as to reduce paperwork and operational cost thereby increasing cost effectiveness. IMPLEMENTATION OF ISO 9000 While existing measures have successfully improved the quality of services delivered, the rising expectations of the private sector for more efficient, fast and timely services have spurred the public service to introduce new measures to further improve the provision of services that will meet, or even exceed the requirements of the private sector. A landmark initiative that was launched recently is the implementation of the ISO 9000 series of standards across the public service. The ISO 9000 is a series of standards for quality management and assurance developed by the International Organization for Standardization, the implementation of which will enable the public service to develop a well-planned, well-documented, and well-executed quality assurance and management system in the public sector. The government is confident that the ISO 9000 standard will be successfully adopted in the Malaysian public sector because a strong foundation has already been laid through the implementation of various administrative reforms in all of its agencies

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over the past few years such as the Manual of Office Procedures, Desk Files, Client’s Charter, Service Recovery System, Checklist, Quality Control Circles and Total Quality Management. It is envisaged that by the end of the year 2000, the entire Malaysian public service would have adopted the ISO 9000 standard. The adoption will be historic in that Malaysia will be the first country that would have applied the internationally accepted standard on a service-wide basis as opposed to other countries where it has been adopted on a limited agency-level scale. The adoption is also in line with the spirit of the Malaysia Incorporated Policy as it will ensure that products and services provided by government agencies meet the needs and expectations of the private sector by adhering to the highest standards of quality on a consistent basis. Information Sharing and Dissemination Realizing that there must be a free flow of information to the private sector in order to facilitate their understanding of the various aspects of laws, regulations, procedures and processes involved in public administration as well as the types of services provided by government agencies, the public service has intensified its efforts at information dissemination during the last few years. There has been a proliferation in the provision of guidebooks on procedures and an increase in the accessibility of public domain information through the use of information technology. A major step towards providing comprehensive information on the public sector was the publication of a book entitled Dealing with the Malaysian Civil Service. The book, which was first published in 1993 and updated in 1994, contains critical information on the Civil Service required by the private sector. Also in 1994, the public sector introduced the Civil Service Link (CSL) with a view to providing more efficient and fast retrieval of government information by using up-to-date information technology. The CSL is a central database, which contains information on various aspects of the Civil Service, which is of importance to the private sector in facilitating their planning towards meeting competitive challenges. Information that can be obtained from the CSL includes profiles of government agencies; rules and regulations relating to various incentives and licenses; transcripts of selected laws such as acts on taxation and tax and investment incentives; and various other types of information useful to the private sector. The introduction of CSL has indeed facilitated local and foreign businessmen and investors in obtaining relevant government information either on-line or through the facsimile machine or delivered to their required destinations. The CSL also serves as a continuing resource center since it is constantly expanded and updated to facilitate businessmen and investors in obtaining relevant up-to-date government information on-line. Information technology is also increasingly being harnessed by government agencies to provide a more efficient manner for dissemination of information to the business community. Now available to the private sector are databases such as the Palm Oil Information On-line System (PALMOILIS), the South-South Investment, Trade and Technology Data Exchange Center (SITTDEC) and the Malaysian Science and Technology Information Center (MASTIC). In addition, the database developed by the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia known as SIRIMLINK provides the industrial sector five categories of information

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namely, patents; approved standards; list of selected articles on technology; research findings of SIRIM and a list of experts available for consultancy services on science and technology projects. The government has also approved the establishment of Government Integrated Telecommunications Network (GITN) to integrate the networking and the channelling of information flow in the public sector. When fully operationalized, the GITN, which is capable of linking electronically the administrative systems of the federal, state and district levels, will become the backbone of a more efficient and effective government machinery. It is envisaged that GITN will become the information channel for the dissemination of information on investment opportunities and industrial development in the country. Such a network is expected to expedite and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of interdepartmental and intradepartmental communications and thus facilitate the private sector and the general public in dealing with the government agencies. Increasingly, government agencies are also taking advantage of the wide coverage of the Internet to develop their respective homepages. A total of 20 agencies have already established their own homepages on the Internet and more than 50 agencies are in the final stages of establishing their respective homepages. Apart from providing information from the central database, the public sector also encourages its agencies to publish guidebooks and pamphlets for use by the public. Emphasis is given to agencies which have major dealings with the private sector such as the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, the Immigration Department, the Royal Customs and Excise Department and local authorities. The objective in preparing the guidebooks is to provide information and explanation to the public especially the private sector, on agency rules, regulations and other matters. The public sector believes that the publication of such guidebooks will be of immense benefit to the private sector as references when dealing with the government agencies concerned. Some of the major publications include those on ‘Immigration Guidelines for Foreign Nationals’, ‘Guidebook on Registration of Electrical Works Contractors’ and ‘Guidelines for the Establishment of Representative Offices and Operational Headquarters’. Enhancing Public Sector Understanding of the Malaysia Incorporated Concept Another important factor that has contributed to the successful implementation of the Malaysia Inc. Policy is the Civil Service commitment in ensuring that public sector personnel understand the importance of cooperation and collaboration with the private sector. Various training programs on the Malaysia Incorporated concept have been organized, most of which are conducted by the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN). Other government training institutions have also incorporated a module on Malaysia Incorporated into their training programs. As part of the effort to expand training opportunities, especially to the support services group, the ‘training franchise system’ has also been introduced. Under the system, a training package on Malaysia Inc. prepared by INTAN is supplied to government agencies to be used as a standard guide for their in-house training. This system does not only ensure standardization in the contents of the course but also enables government agencies to run training programs for their staff. Thus, more training programs can be conducted in a shorter period.

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An attachment training program for senior government officers was introduced in 1983 allowing selected officials to be attached to multi-national corporations in various fields including business, trading, finance, insurance and manufacturing. In 1995, 15 senior government officers participated in the attachment program to British firms sponsored by the British-Malaysia Industry and Trade Association (BMITA) and another 14 participated in the attachment program to Japanese firms. The program has benefitted the officers through their exposure to corporate management methods which has enabled them to understand the techniques, practices and the work culture of the private sector. The program has also increased the participants’ awareness about the expectations of the private sector thus fostering a closer understanding between sectors. Issues and Recommendations The country’s success in sustaining dynamic economic growth for the past eight consecutive years has been, in no small part, the result of close cooperation and collaboration between the public and the private sectors and the relentless efforts at administrative improvements by the Civil Service. However, the implementation of the Malaysia Inc. Policy has had its problems and obstacles. Following is a discussion of some issues encountered and corresponding recommendations on how to resolve them. The Need to Clarify the Concept of Malaysia Inc. When Malaysia Inc. was first introduced, the concept was not fully understood by the public nor the private sectors, giving rise to varying interpretations and misconceptions. There were initially some criticism of the fact that there was apparently no consultation with the private sector or even within the Civil Service before the concept was first formally enunciated. This perceived lack of consultation appears to have led to initial problems in the adoption of the concept. Some civil servants believed that Malaysia Inc. was an idea that was foisted on them. In retrospect, it should have been made clear from the beginning that the implementation of the concept does not involve the public sector alone, but also the business sector and all other relevant parties, including labor. If the concept is to be fully accepted and supported by all quarters, the government must continue to emphasize the need for public-private collaboration in order to ensure that the country continues to forge ahead and compete in a rapidly changing world economic environment. The Need for Labor/Trade Union Involvement It is in the spirit of the Malaysia Inc. that the collaborative mechanism should extend across all levels of the economy as well as within sectors and subsectors. However, presently the prevailing mechanism for public-private collaboration does not allow meaningful participation of labor/trade unions despite the fact that labor forms a significant force in ensuring the success of the Malaysia Inc. Policy. For a more productive partnership, this concept of strategic alliance should be extended to include collaboration between and among the government, the Civil Service, NGOs,

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business organizations, and the trade unions. However, it should be noted that the concept of Malaysia Inc. presupposes that trade unions would abandon their traditional stance of making unreasonable demands and looking for stronger bargaining positions and would concentrate more on creating industrial harmony through consultation and cooperation for mutual benefit to help create a win-win situation. The Need for Attitudinal Change Successful implementation of the public-private collaboration requires mutual attitudinal change. However, in the debate on Malaysia Inc. there is often a tendency to single out the public service as the target for a change in attitude. It should be emphasized that in order for the concept to be accepted and effectively practiced, changes in attitudes must come from both parties. The public sector has traditionally exercised its control as a regulator of business activities in the course of promoting balanced development, and it will continue to play this role. But in the course of discharging its duties, the public sector should refrain from imposing undue restraints on the private sector. In this context, there is a need to bring about a paradigm shift in the mindset of the civil servants to coax them to discard the attitude that they are doing favors for the private sector. The potential benefits that they and the nation can derive from collaborative public-private endeavors need to be clearly explained. On the other hand, the private sector, in its drive towards profit maximization, has often lobbied for incentives in the form of subsidies and tax credits, which may not always benefit the nation. They too, as the main engine of national growth need to change their attitudes and become more self reliant, efficient and more effective in their undertakings. The Need for Expanded Participation by Small and Medium Industries The implementation of the Malaysia Inc. concept entails a close relationship between government and business, which inadvertently leads to close ties between the ruling party, the bureaucracy and the more organized large-scale business corporations. Once such as relationship becomes firmly entrenched in the economy, it could lead to a number of unwarranted consequences such as the emergence of cartels and monopolies and higher levels of corruption. There is also the likelihood of certain big business interests being able to establish very close links with the public sector, obtaining preferential access to strategic information, and thus commanding an unfair advantage over others. It is also feared that since the larger corporations are generally better organized and well-placed to engage in meaningful dialogues with the public sector, the small and mediumscale industries would not be adequately represented. Even major policy decisions could be biased against them. Efforts to bring small and medium industries into the mainstream of public-private collaboration must, therefore, be consciously undertaken to ensure they do not lose out. At the same time, efforts to curb corruption should also go hand in hand with the moves to furthering the collaborative efforts.

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ASIAN REVIEW OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the responses and consequent initiatives by both the public and private sectors within the ambit of Malaysia Inc. it is undeniable that the intersectoral collaborative mechanism has contributed to the economic success of Malaysia. The sustained high economic growth rate of more than eight per cent per annum for the last eight consecutive years bears testimony to the success of our endeavors through the public-private sector collaboration under the aegis of Malaysia Inc. Malaysia is confident that a productive public-private sector partnership will take us a long way toward becoming a fully developed nation by the year 2020. Towards this end, the public sector as an active partner under Malaysia Inc., will continue to play its role as a facilitator and pacesetter, revising and simplifying from time to time the procedures and functions of administration in the development process and maintaining a close and congenial relationship with the private sector and spurring it on as the main engine of the country’s growth.