PETALING JAYA: The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday lacks innovation to take economic development to the next level, said Universiti Tun Abdul Razak economist Dr Barjoyai Bardai.
In expressing disappointment, Barjoyai said there is no real innovation that could propel the nation forward.
“It’s quite what I expected, given that it has been designed only to achieve what the government feels is ‘doable’,” he told theSun.
“They have taken into account what they know they can achieve in the next five years, but there are no plans that will push our economic development to the next stage.”
Barjoyai said the government only projected economic growth of 4.5% to 5.5%, which is moderate for the country.
He said Malaysia should have aimed for a higher growth rate as the world economy is already coming out of the doldrums.
“Now would have been the time for us to really push for major economic growth, given that when the next Malaysia Plan comes around it is very likely that we will be facing economic depression.”
Barjoyai said those who drafted the 12MP were playing it safe. “They only based their projection on what has been achieved under the 11th Malaysia Plan. For the economy, it will be business as usual under the 12MP.
“The plan simply mentions everything in general. They just wanted to make sure they covered everything.”
Barjoyai said there are no real or specific details on how they plan to meet their objectives.
“The plan to eradicate hardcore poverty by 2025 is very welcome but we have to wait and see if it can be achieved.”
He added that a large number of people from the B40 group are now hardcore poor, but there is no way to formulate plans to help them out of poverty unless the government knows how many fall in the group.
“If we want to take the next ‘big leap’, our plans have to be as innovative as the first two, which ushered in substantial economic growth while propelling the nation ahead.”
Transport Ministry former secretary-general Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said that while the National Economic Policy (NEP) should be retained, it should be redesigned to ensure that it benefits everyone, especially the hardcore poor.
“By not changing the NEP, the government is only hurting the Malaysian Family concept. How can we have ‘stepchildren’ in the family when we are trying to move forward together,” said Ramon, who is now chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies at the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.
He described the 12MP as “a missed opportunity”. “We could have come up with more transformative policies.”
He stressed that there is a need to promote meritocracy, openness, competition and a level playing field.
“We need specific proposals on how to prevent leakages and to fight corruption. If we don’t take action now, there is always the possibility of the economy going down the drain.”
He said the 12MP should have been designed to meet the aspirations of the people as the nation comes out of a difficult time.
“The fight against Covid-19 has hurt many people, they are now looking to the government to get them out of this difficult situation.”
