Sabah secures approval for 300 new public service posts

 By Olivia Miwil

July 7, 2026 @ 4:08pm

Sabah State Secretary Datuk Zainudin Aman looks through the book "Social Synergy: A Model Approach to Eradicating Hardcore Poverty in Sabah" during the opening of Sankalpa Sabah 2023: SMJ 2.0 Strategic Implementation Forum at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) on Tuesday. PIC COURTESY OF SABAH CHIEF MINISTER'S OFFICE

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah State Secretary Datuk Zainudin Aman said approval had been granted for the creation of nearly 300 new posts across 26 agencies.

He said the approval, obtained under the implementation of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), was among several key matters agreed upon during his meeting with Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar on July 6.

He added that the measures were aimed at strengthening public service delivery and supporting the implementation of Sabah's development agenda.

Among the initiatives agreed upon, he said, was the implementation of the Bureaucratic Red Tape Reform in project management through the Review, Keep and Boost concept to expedite project implementation in Sabah.

"In addition, meetings between the federal and state governments will be jointly chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Government and the State Secretary to discuss the implementation status of, and resolve issues related to, development projects," he said when officiating the SMJ 2.0 Strategic Implementation Forum at a conference venue here.

Zainudin also called on permanent secretaries and heads of departments to prioritise the implementation of the bureaucratic reforms by identifying at least one existing work procedure that could be improved and expedited through the reform initiative.

He said every ministry and department should also have a strategic plan, ISO certification, an Anti-Bribery Management System and Good Regulatory Practice, while integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into work processes that have undergone bureaucratic reforms to maximise the efficiency of public service delivery.

Elaborating further, Zainudin said SMJ 2.0 was not merely a continuation of the successes achieved under SMJ 1.0 but a more strategic transformation built on three main pillars: key economic growth sectors comprising agriculture, industry and tourism; human capital and people's well-being; and infrastructure connectivity and green sustainability.

He said these three pillars were supported by five enablers and three key focus areas — the blue economy, AI adoption and inclusive development — to ensure balanced development throughout Sabah.