Objective of vision 2020 not achieved due to previous govt's failure - PM Mahathir

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 -- Malaysia failed to achieve the ultimate objective of Vision 2020, which is to become a developed country by next year, due to the wrong strategies put up by the previous government, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“(The ultimate objective of) Vision 2020 was not achieved because, for the last 15 years, wrong strategies and policies were emphasised by the previous administration.

“They did not focus on achieving the objective of turning Malaysia into a developed nation in our own definition by the year 2020,” he told reporters after launching the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (WKB 2030) here today.

Dr Mahathir, who introduced Vision 2020 in 1999, said following the previous administration's failure, the current government could not affirmatively say that the country would become a developed nation by next year.

The present administration would put in place policies and strategies towards becoming a developed country through the introduction of the newly launched WKB 2030 that would benefit all Malaysians.

“It will be better than Vision 2020 because everyone will enjoy prosperity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said the WKB2030 would focus on the aspects of training rather than merely ‘giving’, especially to the poor.

“For this, we will select those who are keen and passionate enough to improve themselves...these people will be assisted.

“If they don’t have experience, knowledge and idea on how to do it, we will train them,” he said.

The prime minister said that it was found that the poor did not understand the importance of financial management and always think that money merely a means to purchase rather than as a business capital.

“We will also introduce small-scale businesses which they can manage and I am confident that this time around, they will get better results.

“Unlike previously when the government gave them an opportunity, they gave it away. The government gave them a contract, they sold the contract, the government gave them a licence, they sold the licence, the government gave them AP, they sold the AP. In the end, they remained poor,” he added.

-- BERNAMA