MAJOR GAINS FOR PEOPLE
The National Transformation Programme, initiated in 2010 and driven by strong and unwavering political will, continues to produce extraordinary results on all fronts. The prime minister, in presenting the NTP Annual Report, emphasises that it's all about
POVERTY RATE WENT DOWN TO 0.6pc IN 2014 FROM 3.8pc IN 2009
2.26 MILLION JOBS CREATED; TARGET OF 3.3 MILLION BY 2020 WITHIN REACH
GROSS NATIONAL INCOME PER CAPITA ROSE TO US$10,010, JUST 18pc SHORT OF CRITERION FOR DEVELOPED STATUS
MALAYSIA AMONG ‘30 MOST PEACEFUL NATIONS’; CRIME INDEX DOWN BY 47pc
ADRIAN LAI
AND HARIZ MOHD SHAH ALAM news@nst.com.my
THE government has proven its critics wrong by achieving key milestones through the implementation of the National Transformation Programme (NTP), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He said the administration had made “brave decisions” to spur the nation’s growth and keep Malaysia on the right economic track.
“This government, Barisan Nasional, has taken many bold actions, and many tough decisions, to achieve Malaysia’s goal of becoming a high-income (and) advanced economy,” he said when presenting the NTP Annual Report 2016 at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) here yesterday.
“The measures taken, such as the removal of fuel subsidies, reducing dependence on oil revenue, rationalising subsidies and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax, are delivering huge dividends to the people and the country.”
Present were cabinet ministers, representatives from BN’s 14 component parties and corporate figures, as well as representatives from governmentlinked companies and the private sector. Representatives from non-governmental organisations, undergraduates and youths were also among the 5,000-strong crowd.
Najib has presented the National Transformation Programme annual report six times since its implementation in 2010.
Describing Malaysians as the “stakeholders of the nation”, he said the people’s wellbeing was the government’s priority.
“I, as prime minister representing the BN government, have taken the gentleman’s approach by presenting the NTP performance report since 2010.”
Najib made it clear that no other government in the world was as “transparent” or had the “discipline of action” to fulfil its promises to the people.
Since the implementation of the NTP, Najib said, the country recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 5.1 per cent a year, which was twice the global average.
He said poverty had declined from 3.8 per cent in 2009 to just 0.6 per cent in 2014, while hardcore poverty was almost completely eradicated.
He said 3.3 million jobs would be created by 2020, adding that 2.26 million jobs had been generated.
He said NTP had not only increased the people’s income and spending power, but also prevented the country from falling into the middle-income trap.
“The gross national income (GNI) per capita for advanced countries is US$12,272 (RM52,678)... but facts show that our GNI per capita has reached US$10,010.”
Najib said the country’s fiscal deficit had been reduced from 6.7 per cent in 2009 to 3.1 per cent last year.
On the government’s plan to develop a world-class public transport system, Najib said the Light Rail Transit Extension and Mass Rapid Transit projects would deliver “big and fast results” to people in the Klang Valley.
He described the upcoming East Coast Rail Link, High Speed Rail and Pan-Borneo Highway projects as game-changers that would provide economic opportunities for the people. Additional reporting by Zafira Anwar