Rafizi issues six reminders to keep 13th Malaysia Plan on track

 

PARLIAMENT | Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has issued six key warnings to ensure the smooth implementation of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).

The Pandan MP said that six negative attitudes among the public, government, and politicians must be changed to effectively implement the plan.

“Earlier, the MP for Sik (Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman) asked what could derail this implementation.

“I believe it will derail if we continue to have these six attitudes.

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“Among them are: changing governments means scrapping previous plans; rejecting ideas simply because they are not ours; publicly supporting but privately rejecting; and diverting allocations meant for one plan to fund other programmes,” he said during his debate speech in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Rafizi added that the attitude of sitting on the fence and dismissing new initiatives because similar programmes already exist should also be avoided to ensure the 13MP’s success.

“If these attitudes persist without change, all the policy shifts outlined in 13MP will remain just text in a document, with no real implementation,” he stressed.

Major reforms

Previously, Rafizi expressed satisfaction that nearly 95 percent of the initiatives developed during his tenure, from the drafting process until his resignation, were retained in the 13MP.

On July 31, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim tabled the 13MP in the Dewan Rakyat.

Rafizi said all major reforms involving changes to the education system, economic structure, and focus on emerging priorities such as the ageing nation agenda and development of the tertiary sector were retained.

He added that economic reengineering efforts initiated earlier - including the National Energy Transition Roadmap, the KL20 start-up hub plan, Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, ‘Made by Malaysia’, the shift to a ‘consumption powerhouse’ economy, and the yet-to-be-announced Special Tourism Investment Zone - all remain a part of 13MP.

Other measures retained include initiatives by the Economy Ministry, which previously faced strong opposition, such as the implementation of the “Anti-Red Tape Act” and legislation to ban the Ali Baba business practice.

The Act is aimed at reducing government bureaucracy and improving the efficiency of public services. - Mkini