New Straits Times, 29 January, 2008.

WHEN Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi proposed the setting up of a task force earlier this year to examine ways to remove bureaucratic red tape and to enhance the public service delivery system, sceptics were aplenty.

Those who had bad experiences with government frontliners or regulations felt that it was just another public relations yarn.

PEMUDAH or the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business was established with the objective of facilitating business and improving the business climate in the country.

For the members of PEMUDAH, comprising 24 top-level public sector and private sector representatives, February 7 will always be a special day. It was when they all decided to make a big difference.

Over the short period of time, the panel has made meaningful progress, a private sector panel member in PEMUDAH, Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam, said.

When Abdulllah proposed the establishment of PEMUDAH, it was felt that Malaysia had slipped in terms of its competitive standing as a result of new emerging markets. Even the World Bank was concerned about the decline in Malaysia 's competitiveness.

Credit goes to Abdullah and the like-minded officials who decided that enough was enough and that Malaysia should not continue to wallow in mediocrity.

When PEMUDAH was set up, what was surprising to most of its panel members was that the expectations were very high and the task was really enormous. Equally damning was the cynicism that PEMUDAH cannot do much with the public delivery system which had deteriorated to such a great extent.

It was quite apparent to the panel that the problems were not in the policies alone but mostly at the implementation stage. Also, there were a lot of misconceptions, misgivings and misinterpretations that needed to be overcome.

But PEMUDAH took the bull by the horns, feeling that it had to tackle the core of the matter - good governance in the public service.

And all this, it feels, would have a bearing towards enhancing the national competitiveness. To be able to do this effectively, the voice of all stakeholders must be given the opportunity to be heard.

What made a big difference this time is that the private sector members in PEMUDAH not only drew attention to problems that need to be addressed, but more importantly, contributed meaningfully towards decision-making and solutions. The dialogues that it has had provided feedback to its public sector counterparts in the panel.

In response to feedback provided by the task force, government departments and agencies are working to streamline processes and procedures and make government services more accessible to the members of the public.

The government is serious in improving the ease of doing business. And this seriousness is reflected in the chief secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, whom Gnanalingam considers the chief driver for this mindset change with his innovative thinking and big picture decision-making.

Expanding from national competitiveness, Gnanalingam who is also executive chairman of Westports Malaysia said this is also connected to Malaysia 's ability to continue attracting foreign direct investment.

And this is much more than the abundance of industrial land, good infrastructure facilities or affordable accommodation for the expatriate staff.

"We often forget the well-being of these expatriates who contribute significantly to the economy of this country," he said.

"In lighter vein, I have always said that the Immigration Department has been very efficient in processing the applications of the 1.9 foreign workers in this country and the 20 million or so foreign tourists. But we hear stories of expatriates being given the run-around at the Immigration Department while other countries in this region are giving them the royal treatment instead," he added.

Gnanalingam said something was wrong somewhere and efforts must be taken to do something about these foreign-trained skilled professionals since Malaysia 's human resource cannot provide for such skills for the time being.

To eliminate the bad stories, the Immigration Department's Expatriate Committee has from June 1 2007 been processing all applications for expatriate posts within seven days and meets twice a week to expedite such approvals.

The tenure of expatriate posts has also been increased to five years from two years previously and the endorsement of work-related passes for expatriates has also been shortened to three days. Even state immigration offices now have executive counters to deal with all executive level personnel.

On top of that and to avoid confusion and improve transparency, PEMUDAH has also published a guidebook for the employment of expatriates in collaboration with the Implementation Coordination Unit, Ministry of Home Affairs, the Immigration Department and other related agencies like the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, Multimedia Development Corp, Securities Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia and Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation.

The guidebook was published to provide a consolidated source of information to investors and employers on matters related to expatriate employment in Malaysia . It is the first publication which brings together the relevant information from the various agencies involved in the approval of expatriate posts and endorsement of employment passes. The guidebook also includes the process flow chart to help expatriates navigate through the processes involved.

The guidebook covers expatriate posts for manufacturing and manufacturing-related services; information technology; finance, insurance and banking; securities and futures market; and the education, health, tourism, civil aviation services, and sports sectors.

Sidek said that the guidebook is an example of ongoing efforts to make dealing with the government a painless and seamless process. The overarching objective is to facilitate and provide clarity and transparency.

"It's about creating a friendlier business environment in Malaysia ," Gnanalingam said.