He urged all ministries, agencies, state governments, and local authorities to register and implement new reform projects for 2025.

“This year, 200 projects have been implemented or are in progress. To ensure a broader and more impactful outcome, I am setting a target of 500 projects for 2025,” he said at the closing of a national convention on reform of the public services.

He urged civil servants to propose new ideas to seize opportunities in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and financial technology.

“This reform agenda should not just look impressive on paper or be merely talk, but it must be continuously applied in delivering our services,” he said.

Shamsul Azri also launched two circulars on reforms.

One is a guideline to accelerate bureaucratic reforms, aiming for a more efficient administration, increased productivity, and a reduction of unnecessary regulations.

The second circular will guide regulators in using new approaches to existing regulations, making them more innovative and relevant to current needs.

Separately, another senior civil servant said bureaucratic reforms could reduce costs in implementing development projects.

The secretary-general of the economy ministry, Nor Azmie Diron, said uncontrolled bureaucracy would result in increased costs for industry.

“The government’s function is to facilitate the implementation process within a reasonable period so that a project can be implemented within the specified period,” he said.