KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) will give extra attention on the restructuring of the Department of Environment (DOE) this year.
This, according to its Minister Yeo Bee Yin, was to strengthen the department's organisational structure, streamline its enforcement operations and enhance the integrity of its personnel.
She said the restructuring would be made through the DoE Road Map in the first quarter of this year.
“These are the things that we have been doing since 2019 and will continue to do this year.
"In fact, these are among the main focus areas that will be given extra attention,’’ she said in RTM’s Bicara Naratif programme discussing on MESTECC’s achievements, on Friday.
The minister said she would ensure that the 1,400 posts at all DoE offices nationwide would be properly filled so that the department could function better.
“I was shocked when I first found out that only 1,200 posts were filled. So we have filled more than 100 vacancies last year and will take every effort to fill the vacancies at all DoE offices this year,” she said.
In the meantime, Yeo said MESTECC owes it to its staff and officers for all the ministry’s achievements recorded in the year 2019.
She said the hard work of DoE enforcement officers was among the factors for the government’s success in sending back 100 containers of illegal plastic waste to their countries of origin, including France, Canada, Netherlands and Japan, last year.
The committed effort of MESTECC, which sent Malaysia’s firm message to the world, was well assisted by several relevant agencies, such as the Customs Department and the Department of National Solid Waste Management (JPSPN), she said.
“I am very proud of our DoE officers. If we don’t have officers who worked hard to check every single container we could not have achieved this.
“Not forgetting other agencies too, of course, like the Customs and JPSPN, we could not have done that without them,” she added.
During the Basel Convention held in Geneva, Switzerland from April 29 to May 10 last year, MESTECC had raised concerns of the Malaysian society and voiced out Malaysia’s right to impose tight control on the import of the plastic waste. -- Bernama