PUTRAJAYA: Government department heads have been reminded to be on the ground often to understand better the people's grouses, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said.
He said instead of spending more time at the office, the department heads could get a realistic picture of current ongoings, as exemplified by efforts by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to meet the people during lunch every Friday.
Mohd Zuki said being on the ground would allow them to listen to the grouses directly and resolve issues to the best of their abilities.
"Every Friday, before the Friday prayers, the prime minister will head out early to have lunch with the people. He did this at various locations nationwide.
"It is not about him just having lunch with the people. He wants to listen to their problems, wishes and suggestions to government under his leadership.
"So, I feel that his efforts (to meet the people) can be a good example to us, heads of departments, to be on the ground. This is because if we see the problems faced by the people, we can understand and resolve them better.
"Sometimes, when we make decisions, we (tend to) spend more time at the office (or) pore over papers on suggestions proposed by our officers.
"I am worried that we (may) do not understand the problems on the ground," he said during his speech in a message to civil servants at the Public Service Department auditorium today.
On the issue of urban poverty which rate had increased to 3.8 per cent, Mohd Zuki said he had instructed the Economy Ministry and the Implementation Coordination Unit to take heed of the prime minister's recommendation to ensure that the rating accurately reflected the situation on the ground.
He said on the Economic Action Council's data, a number of those in the M40 income group had been reclassified as B40 following the global economic setback.
"The prime minister's recommendation to execute the Multidimensional Poverty Index as an alternative to measure poverty rate, should be welcomed and implemented immediately by the government machinery.
"As of now, the measuring tool in place only uses a single dimensional approach, based on income earnings. This method does not give an accurate picture on the country's poverty rate."