Fatalism is certainly not the norm in the Sarawak government, especially when it concerns the implementation of development projects. Instead, the State government is taking specific proactive measures to ensure that development efforts will be sustained throughout the State. The restructuring of the present system and fine tuning of the existing mechanisms has always been its major concern.

The launching of the Development Projects Monitoring System (DPMS) on 16 November 2001 marks an important chapter in the State government’s development agenda and process. It symbolizes the increasing importance and attention that need to be given to the monitoring of projects especially as we embark on the beginning of the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP) and the Outline perspective Plan (OPP3) for the country.

The following information are extracted from the speech delivered by the State Secretary Datuk Amar Datuk Haji Abdul Aziz Haji Husain at the launching of the DPMS:

DPMS- THE NEW MONITORING SYSTEM

DPMS is a new monitoring system which was put in place to replace the old monitoring system. As an on-line monitoring system, the DPMS operates using a web-based technology that is connected via the Sarawaknet infrastructure. Prior to the DPMS, some monitoring mechanisms and systems were already in place. However, they were found to be less effective in handling the vast amount of information that need to be submitted and compiled in the process of monitoring. The old system that used the manual approach was found to be slow

GIS - one of the DPMS componen

and problematic and feedback was not received on time or not received at all. The lapse in time in receiving information on progress of projects implemented in the remote and rural areas made the monitoring system less reliable and effective.

Training On DPMS

In order to monitor the stages of projects implementation, the Project Implementation Tracking System (PITS) was included as part of the DPMS. Through this tracking system, bottlenecks and time taken to handle a particular work process in the implementation of projects will be easily identified. It is imperative that agencies in the State should continuously improve their capacity, capability, efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of development projects. Looking at the past monitoring or rather the lack of it has been identified as the main reasons for the shortcomings and weaknesses. Hence, the need for all government agencies to focus and upgrade their monitoring mechanism and process.

In the previous Malaysia Plans, a number of development projects either failed to take off or were not completed during the planned period. Consequently, funds allocated were not spent and these projects had to be carried forward to the next Plan. This is indeed a cause of concern since it clearly reflects the obvious gaps between Plan objectives and implementation results.

Establishment Of Special Monitoring Committee/Unit

To further strengthen the implementation and monitoring set up, a circular on the establishment of Project Monitoring Committee/Unit in every Ministry, Department and Agency has been issued. The purpose of this committee is to discuss issues and problems arising from projects implementation, particularly critically delayed projects, actions to be taken to resolve them and to submit regular reports to PIMU, besides ensuring all data are keyed-in into the Project Monitoring as a Core function

Field Visits To Enhance Monitoring

Monitoring efforts can be further enhanced through field visits to gain first hand knowledge on the progress of the projects particularly the critically delayed projects. A lot of problems can be solved at the sites itself and for those that cannot be resolved, immediate action can be taken by the relevant agencies to rectify the problems. The Ministries, Departments and various agencies are urged to take the initiative to conduct more field visits.

Emphasis on Teamwork

One of the DPMS componen

There is no two ways about it. All government agencies must work as a team to achieve our common vision. The work teams should be able to break through traditional barriers that have impeded development process in the past. They must be able to coordinate their activities to ensure that all projects are implemented and completed on schedule and in accordance with the required standards. In the final analysis, the success of the Public Sector in providing and delivering public goods and services lies in the ability of government agencies to implement and complete projects on time, according to budget and of the highest quality and standards. This process requires an efficient and effective monitoring system.

It is hoped that with the launching and implementation of the DPMS, the new direction and approaches taken to enhance monitoring and augmented by the various monitoring committees and units at the various levels, Ministries, departments and Agencies will make every effort to step up their monitoring process for all their projects.” I believe that with the system fully in place and the cooperation and commitment of every one involved, our target of achieving 100% performance in project implementation will be attainable” concludes the State Secretary