PETALING JAYA, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Regulators need to work hand in hand with entrepreneurs, adapting to the new norms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic together, said Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) Director General YBhg. Dato’ Abdul Latif Haji Abu Seman.

“With social distancing and work from home being new norms, we as regulators need to lead the way, working hand in hand with business communities to overcome challenges posed by the pandemic together,” he said after the second session of the 6^th ASEAN-OECD Good Regulatory Practice Network (GRPN) Meeting.

The ASEAN-OECD GRPN Meeting is co-chaired by Malaysia and New Zealand since 2015. This year’s GRPN is being held virtually for the first time ever through a series of 3 webinars that focuses on the theme of Better Regulation for Post COVID-19 Recovery. These online webinars are organised in collaboration with this year’s host, Viet Nam.

Themed “Leveraging digital tools for more agile regulatory policy making”, it was held via Zoom and in the listening rooms of ASEAN and OECD member countries recently with the virtual GRPN meeting being attended by more than 200 government officials and representatives from the private sectors.

This is the second session focused at how digital technologies are supporting government’s COVID-19 response, helping to make for more agile and responsive government, while also posing challenges in the longer term as governments seek to protect society against unintended consequences.

The meeting was co-chaired by Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Senior Director, Strategic Planning Mr. Jaya Singam Rajoo, who represented Deputy Secretary General (Trade) of MITI, and New Zealand’s Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment Regulatory Systems, Strategic Policy and Programmes Group Director Mr. Mark Steel.

Citing the success of the #MyMudah Programme implemented through various online platforms since it was launched on 21 July 2020, Dato’ Abdul Latif elaborated on the various platforms available, including the Unified Public Consultation (UPC) portal to register the regulatory issues by the businesses; one-to-one Business Regulation Virtual Advisory Clinics with businesses to address various issues, webinars on regulatory burden issues featuring thought trade associations and industry practitioners, Virtual Round Table Discussion to identify on the regulatory issues faced by the industries and others.

“The response has been encouraging, and industry players has showed positive response on the online approach used by #MyMudah Programme for the engagement with industry players. As a result, three regulatory issues have been resolved such as; expedite technical approval of completed construction projects, removal of issuance of export permits imposed on 524 agro-food product codes and extension of Poultry License from 1 to 5 years. These initiatives reduced business compliance costs, create more jobs and stimulate the economy,” Dato’ Abdul Latif said.

He also highlighted that much can be learned from the experiences in the ASEAN and OECD countries in these meetings in utilizing digital technologies for smart service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fulfilling its objective, these meetings, which aimed to strengthen ASEAN members’ capacity in the implementation of good regulatory practices to ensure high-quality regulations and regulatory coherence, through the exchange of good practices and mutual learning among policy makers in ASEAN Member States and OECD member countries, is hosted by Vietnam, the ASEAN Chair for 2020.

Source: Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Vimala R Muniandy
Email: vimala@mpc.gov.my

Name: Huda Atiqah Samsir
Corporate Planning Division
Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC)
Tel: 03-7955 7266 Ext:484
Fax: 03-7954 0795
Email: atiqah@mpc.gov.my

--BERNAMA