MAKE GOOD REGULATORY PRACTICE A DRIVER OF ASEAN INTEGRATION -- TENGKU ZAFRUL
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) is proposing that good regulatory practice (GRP) be positioned as a key driver of ASEAN integration to strengthen the bloc’s competitiveness and investment appeal.
Its minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz said ASEAN should utilise GRP to reduce non-tariff barriers, harmonise standards, and make the region a truly seamless and attractive market for trade and investments.
“The second strategic priority is to embed GRP in ASEAN’s future agenda by integrating transparency, accountability and evidence-based governance across all pillars of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045,” he said in his opening remarks at the 10th Meeting of the ASEAN-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) GRP Network here today.
The meeting, which was attended by senior officials and policymakers across ASEAN and OECD members, was organised by Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC).
Tengku Zafrul also proposed to turn GRP from a policy principle into a daily practice to ensure that every rule made, reviewed, or repealed serves the people and sustains productivity.
Sharing on the progress of Malaysia, he said that Malaysia’s ongoing bureaucratic reform programme has also contributed to the country’s improved performance.
“Currently, there are over 1,000 regulatory improvement projects nationwide, collectively generating RM1.1 billion in compliance-cost savings as of September 2025,” he said.
Tengku Zafrul further emphasised that the new Government Service Efficiency Commitment Act 2025 (Iltizam Act) was gazetted earlier this year.
“It aims to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of Malaysia’s public services by reducing bureaucracy and red tape,” he said.
In a separate statement released in conjunction with the event, MPC said that over the past decade, the ASEAN-OECD GRP Network has evolved from a policy dialogue into a practical platform for reform and collaboration, turning knowledge ambition into action.
“The network has supported initiatives to simplify business registration, enhance digital governance, strengthen regulatory coordination, and link small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to global value chains.
“This focus on improved governance has yielded significant results, with ASEAN’s labour productivity growing at a compound annual rate of approximately 2.45 per cent from 2014 to 2023, illustrating how regulatory efficiency and innovation drive regional competitiveness,” it said.
-- BERNAMA
