Anwar said the secretariat, which will be administered by the finance ministry, has received the blessings of the Cabinet and will begin its duties immediately as part of the large-scale reforms of the civil service.

“The finance ministry will form a bilateral committee to update the rationalisation of statutory bodies.

“There are too many statutory bodies with overlapping functions, (which means we must) reduce and streamline (and rein in) excesses and uncontrolled spending,” he said at the ministry’s monthly assembly here today.

He urged department heads and civil servants as a whole to be frugal in using government funds.

“When appointing a new chairman, what car (should be given), what office is being renovated? I said no need to change, no need to modify. I want this spirit to be understood by everyone,” he said.

Yesterday, Anwar hinted that large-scale reforms involving government agencies and departments would be implemented from this month.

According to him, the government must take this step because reforms of the merger of agencies and departments are still unsatisfactory.