Rauf leaves three messages for civil servants ahead of Melaka assembly dissolution

AYER KEROH: With the dissolution of the Melaka state legislative assembly expected to be announced tomorrow, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh has left three key messages to ensure continuity in the state's development efforts.

The three messages are to uphold integrity, use artificial intelligence (AI) wisely and make the Melaka Sayang Rakyat (MeSRa) agenda the heart of public service.

He said positions held by civil servants were not a privilege but a trust that must be carried out responsibly to maintain public confidence in the civil service.

"Do not let one wrong decision tarnish your own name and cause the people's trust in the entire civil service to be affected.

"If we hold the people's trust, we must never trade it away," he said in his speech at the Melaka State Public Service Workers Appreciation Night.

Also present were state legislative assembly Speaker Datuk Ibrahim Durum, state secretary Datuk Salhah Salleh and senior state executive councillor Datuk Rais Yasin.

Rauf said civil servants must also be prepared to embrace technological developments by using AI to improve the efficiency of service delivery to the people.

"I want Melaka civil servants to use AI to work faster, more accurately and better.

"But remember, use AI to help us think, not to replace our thinking," he said.

For his third message, he urged all civil servants to make MeSRa the heart of their responsibilities and service to the community.

He said the effectiveness of a government should not be measured solely by the slogans or policies it promotes, but by people's experience when dealing with the government and how effectively their problems were resolved.

"Because ultimately, the people do not judge the government by the slogans we proclaim, but by the treatment they receive and the problems we solve," he said.

Rauf said the spirit of togetherness among civil servants must be maintained to ensure the state administration continued to function effectively in the people's interest.

He said if he was entrusted to continue leading the state administration, he hoped the spirit of togetherness would be preserved.

"We will continue what is good, improve what is lacking and, most importantly, ensure the state administration continues to move forward for the people and for Melaka," he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to all civil servants who played a key role in ensuring the state government's agendas and programmes were implemented.

They included staff from the Management Services Division of the Melaka Chief Minister's Department, Tourism Promotion Division of the State Communications, Multimedia and Tourism Committee, Technical and Logistics Division, as well as members of the media in Melaka.

"My media friends, I know they are the hardest to admit when they are tired. Not only do they have to rush to my programmes from morning until night, but wherever I go now, whenever there is a press conference, there is always one question being asked: Datuk Seri, when are you dissolving the state assembly?

"I go to a programme, they ask. I visit a village, they ask again. Even if they see me walking a little faster, they might think I am on my way to announce the dissolution! Just be patient until the time comes. I will know what to do," he said.