Good ideas are effective ones, says Sidek

The strength of any idea lies in its implementation, the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan said. He said the challenge for the civil service was to implement good ideas and ensure that it was implemented properly.
Mohd Sidek, speaking at the presentation of prizes to winners of the Pemudah Challenge Season 2 here yesterday, said the implementation of new ideas depended on convincing end users of the good to be derived from them.
“Unless we are able to do this, our ideas will simply sit on the shelves of ideas,” he said, adding that change was often burdened by ingrained cultures and habits.
He said the Pemudah secretariat had received 1,105 ideas for improvements with 67 winning prizes in the first challenge last year while 3,946 submissions with 57 ideas which could be implemented were chosen to enhance the public sector delivery system.
“Civil servants sent in 3,289 entries and the remaining 657 entries were from the public; 557 entries related to the Natural Resources and Environ­ment Ministry, 526 for Education Ministry and 425 for the Higher Education Ministry,” he said.
Among the ideas considered this year included a proposal to allow online application for change of schools, emergency paramedic support on motorcycles, drive-through pharmacies to collect prescribed medicines to avoid queuing, every citizen given only one number for their international passports and Social Security Organisation to review the requirement for beneficiaries to testify every year that he or she is still suffering from permanent disability.