PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today sent a strong message to his administration, reminding them on the need to be organised.
He said the message was relayed during a closed door meeting at a special executive programme for government administrators that included ministers and their deputies.
He said to be successful, the government need to have a system and it must also been done correctly.
“(My message is on) the importance of being organised; (and) of following methods.
“I have pointed out that the Europeans were conquered the world because they are organised.
“The rest of the world, they are much bigger, but were not organised. Their armies were not organised,” he told reporters after the meeting.
When asked about the reason he had raised the matter, Dr Mahathir said it was a message for all.
“There is a need for the government to be organised.
“(It) must have a method to succeed. (It) must be done in a correct way.
“That is a message for everybody,” he said.
Dr Mahathir spent about three hours with the top government officials in the closed door meeting.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the prime minister also emphasised the importance for ministers and deputy ministers to work as a team with members of the civil service to ensure smooth and effective administration.
“It will be a problem if we do not trust them (civil servants).
"They are there to stay, whereas for us, we are answerable to the 'rakyat' and every five years we have to go through the process of election," he added.
Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, in sharing Azmin’s views, said Dr Mahathir explained the importance of having a system and method that will enable the government to serve the people better and effectively.
"It includes understanding among cabinet members, deputy ministers and civil servants." he added. -- Additional reporting by Zanariah Abd Mutalib