Opening Of The Advanced Management Development Programme (AMDP) Series 2, 1/2009

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi
wabarakatuh and good evening

Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Ismail Adam
Director-General of Service

Y. Bhg. Datuk Ab. Khalil Ab. Hamid
Director-General of Service (Development)

Y. Bhg. Dato’ Dr. Hj. Ismail Alias
Director-General of Service (Operations)

Y.Bhg. Dr. Muhamad bin Hamzah,
Director of INTAN

Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Dr Lin See Yan,
President of Harvard Club of Malaysia
Professor Nabil N. El-Hage and Professor Herman “Dutch” Leonard of Harvard University

Ladies and gentlemen

It gives me great pleasure to be here tonight to officiate the second Advanced Management Development Programme. I would like to thank the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), Harvard Club of Malaysia and Charles River Centre for once again organising this Advanced Management Development Programme.

2. AMDP is a vision and initiative of the National Implementation Task Force aimed at developing a first class progressive human capital in the Malaysian public service through reputable and first class learning experience provided to a cross-section of senior and middle management of the public sector. This initiative began under the leadership of Y.A.Bhg. Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The intent of this programme is to enhance public sector leaders with thinking skills and capabilities to manage, respond and solve problems in a challenging, interactive and experiential learning environment.

3. It would be rhetorical for me to say that we are at an important juncture of our country’s growth and advancement. Much of what makes a Nation – from the perspective of its governance, public service delivery, market competitiveness, human capital development, safety and security, business environment to name but a few is today, at the behest of maturity.

4. The Public Service of Malaysia, we, are administrators and implementers of the policies of the Government. Put simply, we move the vehicle provided to us. The speed and direction of where we take this vehicle determines the destination of the passengers in the vehicle. Passengers in this instance would be the public. Public service must collectively and at all levels move in concert with the growth demands of Malaysia. We must be at the nexus of our Nation’s growth. We must move the vision of our Prime Minister, Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak, in truly being a service that fulfill to the fullest the tag line of 1 Malaysia, People First and Performance Now.

5. To rise to these challenges, we must move beyond just being good, hard working public officials to being outstanding public sector leaders comparable if not better than the world’s best, and ahead of the private sector. The Malaysian Public Service must have leaders who are creative and innovative, effective strategists and implementers, able to respond to the rising and changing needs of the people. And, beyond this, leaders in public service must be effective communicators. WE must deliver to EXCELLENCE and PRECISION as the main themes of our performance scorecard.

Ladies and gentlemen

6. We are at an era where Malaysia and Malaysians as well as non-Malaysians are calling for a Public Service that serves the 21st Century and beyond. Public officials once seen as leading the policy development can no longer be just that, and that alone. We must be able to facilitate, communicate, interact, implement and engage with all our stakeholders when we carry out government’s policies, projects and programmes. We must have the maturity and humility to respond to public complaints and demands. And to treat complaints as “gifts”, which allows us to improve on our services.

7. AMDP provides a platform for us to acquire such knowledge from the world’s finest teachers and practitioners who will prepare and equip us with the necessary skills and aptitude to face these times. This is an intensive programme where we are expected to actively engage in lectures and group discussions. Make use of any spare time you have to engage in further discussions with group members. Please participate actively. Have stimulating and challenging debates. Do not underestimate the power of debate, consultation and discourse. It is truly enriching. When you draw up your own action plans, I hope you will draw plans that break new grounds and boundaries which you can each implement in your organisations to better enhance its performance and delivery to the public.

8. Please stay committed throughout the four sessions, as each session presents different areas of leadership. The learning demands that we go beyond our comfort zone. It demands us to think out of the box. And it requires us to challenge the status quo; skills the 21st Century Public Service will demand of us as leaders.

9. Whilst the curriculum for this programme is intensive, its benefits cannot be overemphasised. Programmes like this provide a remarkable platform to defreeze and re-freeze our skills. We “de-learn” what we know and “re-learn” new skills and techniques most pertinent for us as leaders in moving our country forward. Through such a process of de-freezing and freezing, we must be able to recognise the behavioural habits which has deterred and discouraged us from giving our best to the Service, to the Nation.

Ladies and gentlemen,

10. It has been a year since the first series of AMDP was held at INTAN and Awana, Genting Highlands. INTAN had carried out an assessment review on the effectiveness of this programme. The survey revealed there was significant positive impact on the knowledge, skills and self development amongst the participants. The programme augmented and improved the participants’ roles as leaders of the public sector as they had gained significant amount of knowledge and skills in areas of crisis management, leadership, successful negotiation, financial management, operational strategies and technology. It has helped mould their thoughts to manage and solve problems with confidence.

11. The same opportunity to learn from the finest is being extended to you. You are about to start a journey to acquire invaluable and first-class knowledge. You are selected not only because of your performance but also because we see your potentials to make a difference as future leaders in the public service. Do not underestimate the effect each one of you can have on the well-being of the Public Service, the Nation and the Rakyat.

12. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Tan Sri Lin See Yan, Dato’ Abdullah Mat Zaid and Mr. C.K. Fong from Harvard Club of Malaysia and Charles River Centre for lending their support to the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN) in putting together this programme. To the Professors of Harvard, I wish you a pleasant stay here in Malaysia.

13. To all the participants, I hope this programme will propel you to greater heights. I hope you will graduate from this programme, prepared to make a difference and leave an impact in your quest to become outstanding public sector leaders transforming your ministries and agencies into high performing organisations.

14. On that note, with lafaz Bismillahir rahmanir rahim, I declare open the Advanced Management Development Programme Series 2, 1 of 2009.