BAB 6 - PEMBANGGUNAN NEGARA (WAWASAN 2020)
The Vision
Vision 2020 is not only a mission for Malaysia to advance economically, but also for the nation to achieve an ideal social and political environment. Apart from that, it emphasises on the betterment of governmental system, life quality, social and spiritual values, national pride as well as confidence.
To refresh our memory, here are the nine key challenges in Vision 2020:
Challenge 1: Establishing a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia.
Economically Challenged
Strangely enough, the architect of the plan, Mahathir, has in the past expressed doubts on Malaysia's ability to achieve economic goals of Vision 2020.In 2010 at the Perdana Leadership Foundation's CEO Forum, he pointed out the economic crises that hit the nation in 1997/97 and 2008 was a major setback and halted our progress in achieving Vision 2020.
In a 2011 research by the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth titled Mapping the Global Digital Divide, a map showing the spread of computer and communications technology around the world was created. In the study, it listed Malaysia as one of the 'emerging market economies' along with 24 other countries among which are Vietnam, Indonesia, Hungary, and South Africa. The study explained that emerging market economies are growing nations that fall between the extremes
Challenge 2: Creating a psychologically liberated, secure and developed Malaysian society.
Challenge 3: Fostering and developing a mature democratic society.
Challenge 4: Establishing a fully moral and ethical society.
Challenge 5: Establishing a matured liberal and tolerant society
Challenge 6: Establishing a scientific and progressive society.
Challenge 7: Establishing a fully caring society.
Challenge 8: Ensuring an economically just society, in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation.
Challenge 9: Establishing a prosperous society with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.
The former Prime Minister then advised the government to focus on stimulating Domestic Direct Investments (DDI) instead of courting Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). He acknowledged FDI has helped the country grow in the 80s and 90s, but argued that the situation has now changed.
In recent days, it is difficult for Malaysia to compete with the significantly lower costs countries such as Vietnam and China have to offer.
Mahathir reiterated the emphasis on FDI during that period (80s and 90s) played a major part on why we aren't progressing as much as we would have liked today. We at that time offered labour and resources at a much low cost, and this turned Malaysia into a country that specialises in labour-intensive activities.
Overtime, this had caused other countries that are focusing on innovation to out-leap us with technological prowess and their cutting-edge financial sectors.
The Middle Income Trap
According to a report by the World Bank last year, our dependence on low wage labour input has also put us in a 'middle income trap'. This means, our country can no longer offer low cost labour compared to other countries, nor can we compete against countries with rapid technological advances.
Tiada ulasan:
Catat Ulasan