An award worth winning

The Star

By LEOW YONG MAY

EFFICIENCY is the key to success. The public delivery service is constantly being improved and government departments and agencies that have successfully displayed excellent administration deserve to get the credit.

For this reason, the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) is organising the Public Sector Quality Awards (AKSA) for the 18th consecutive year to reward government agencies that have excelled.

Introduced in 1990, the Awards are to create awareness on quality in the public sector and provide formal recognition to government agencies that have good management and leadership skills.

The Public Sector Quality Awards are now divided into two tiers: Upper-Tier and Lower-Tier.

The Upper-Tier level gives formal recognition to any government agency that has excelled in managing the organisation as a whole. Awards in the Upper Tier category consist of the Prime Minister’s Quality Award (AKPM), the Chief Secretary to the Government’s Quality Award (AKKSN), the Director General of Government Service’s Quality Award (AKKPPA), and the Director General of MAMPU Quality Award (AKKP MAMPU).

For the Lower-Tier level, awards will be given to acknowledge agencies that have shown excellence in specific areas.

They are the Information and Communication Technology Quality Award (AKICT), Local Authorities Quality Award (AKPBT), Finance Management Quality Award (AKPK), District and Land Administration Quality Award (AKPDT) and Project Management Quality Award (AKPP), which is a new award introduced this year.

There are different criteria for each award and the shortlisted agency has to make the presentation to a panel of judges. For AKPM, the panel is chaired by the Director General of MAMPU with a team of senior officials of various ministries.

Every agency looks forward to winning an award which reflects the good work done by the staff. The top award, the Prime Minister’s Quality Award, is the ultimate prize.

“There is a deep sense of pride when a government agency wins the AKPM for the Public Sector award,” says Mahat Bahari, MAMPU Deputy Director General (Administrative Modernisation).

“Apart from being recognised for their dedication, the agency that wins this prestigious award is allowed to use the ‘Q’ symbol as well as the statement, ‘Winner of the Prime Minister’s Quality Award’, on its letterhead for three years.”

Winners are allowed to contest again after three years. The healthy competition among agencies helps promote a better management system that will not only benefit the public service but also the public at large.

Last year's winner was Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. There has been a two-time winner before: the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute is an agency that has won the AKPM for the Public Sector twice, in 1992 and in 2005.

The winner of the AKPM this year will bring home a trophy, a congratulatory certificate, and a cheque of RM50,000.

All the winners will be announced at the Public Sector Quality Awards Ceremony 2007 to be held on Nov 30.