Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
(1) Dr M: We may not achieve vision 2020 on time, 29 September 2009
Malaysia might not be able to achieve its Vision 2020 on time, if it does not change its strategy and remains dependent on foreign direct investments, says former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
(2) Dr M: New strategies needed for Vision 2020 goals, 9 July 2010
Malaysia can achieve Vision 2020 of becoming a developed nation if several development and economic strategies were changed, said former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former prime minister, who mooted the vision in 1991, said this was because the world financial crisis and the country's internal crisis in 1997 and 1998 had to a certain extent hindered national economic growth that had been planned.
"In order to achieve Vision 2020, the country must attain an economic growth of seven percent each year for a period of 30 years," he said in the 3rd series of the "Forum RMK-10 KITA" organised by the Ministry of Information Communication and Culture at the Putra World Trade Centre, here Thursday night, which was aired live on TV1.
Mahathir said, however, the development and economic strategies that needed to be changed must first be discussed in detail to determine which strategy could stimulate bigger growth.
With regard to the development of Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur, Mahathir suggested that the other races too be involved in the development programme so that it could provide an incentive in the effort.
"I feel there should be other races taking part too. We cannot set 40 per cent or 50 per cent but to a certain extent there must be (participation), because it will be an incentive.
"If the other races are not doing business, the Malays too will not come because it has become a belief that the Malays cannot do business," he said.
'Malays can't curtail desires'
Meanwhile, he said the reason why only a few Malays were listed in the 40 richest individuals in the country after 50 years of independence was because, according to him, the Malays "still cannot curtail their desires and are too spendthrift."
"We don't control our desires, the moment we get the money (we) want to spend. I met with a Chinese friend, he said the problem of the Bumiputera is that they don't know how to manage cash. When they have money, they want to spend. Even when the money is not yet theirs, they already spend," he said.
Mahathir also pointed out that the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) was not racialist although it gave much emphasis on the Bumiputera development agenda.
"(10MP) merely aims to achieve a balance in the income of all Malaysians regardless of race," he added.
Later, Dr Mahathir cut 'pulut kuning' (yellow glutinous rice) in conjunction with his 85th birthday.
(3) Vision 2020 target may not be achievable: Dr M, 29 September 2010
by Aidila Razak
The architect of Vision 2020 has come out to say that he believes the target he introduced in 1991, is not likely to be achieved within the next 10 years.
"Whether Vision 2020 is achievable, my fear is it is not achievable by 2020... maybe later," he said, reiterating an opinion he has frequently expressed in recent months.
However, Mahathir Mohamad (left) said, the target could still be achieved if the government changed tack and sought "new direction and different strategies", instead of continuing to depend on foreign direct investment.
"When we thought of it 30 years before 2020, we thought it would be a long enough time, so that who drafted it would no longer be around.
"I won't be around in 2020. I decided that now, so that any brickbats hurled would have to be done now," he said.
While Mahathir did not expressly say so, his view gave a nod of approval to the Economic Transformation Programme, which emphasises private sector-led growth, with about 70 percent of the investments sourced domestically.
But he was less than happy with the state of the Najib government, which he said was not strong enough to ensure stability.
'If you are strong, little midgets won't disturb'
"I hate to say this, but although the same party is in power, the strength is not the same as before.
"If you are strong, little midgets won't disturb you because they know what will happen to them," he said.
While the growth figures seemed commendable at 6 percent, Mahathir felt that the challenge was to make this felt to the people on the ground.
"Maybe you can have a lab on this," he said, giving a poke to the much trumpeted National Key Economic Areas labs.
If Vision 2020 as a whole could be achieved a little later, the objective of creating a Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian race) - one of nine under Vision 2020 - might take an even longer time.
"It's a very tricky thing... to create Bangsa Malaysia would take longer," he said.
The veteran statesman added that he had believed a more prosperous Malaysia would mean people would "forget their racial differences" and that "talk of racial privileges will not pervade the political scene".
This, he had discovered when the business community, comforted by the currency fixture in 1999 voted BN despite fears that "somebody's black eye being a tremendous issue".
Mahathir said that Malaysians today were still "arguing on a very racial basis", sarcastically adding that this included himself.
(End)
