Govt wants M’sia to roar as an ‘Asian Tiger’
PUTRAJAYA: Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali says the principle of shared prosperity will be the main vision of ministers to help improve the country.
He said the Pakatan administration would be guided based on the principles of accountability, integrity and people-oriented programmes to turn the country into the next “Asian Tiger”.
“Although Malaysia is rich with resources, they are not distributed equally among the people. Therefore, the shared prosperity principle will ensure that the wealth can be distributed equally, especially to those in the rural areas.”
These are among the thrust that will be implemented by the government,” he said.
On efforts to improve his ministry’s performance, Azmin said the staff was adapting well and learning fast to provide service to the people.
“The Prime Minister also reminded us to continue to work as a team with the civil servants. They are trying their level best to provide services.
“And most importantly, the top leadership today totally rejects corruption and abuse of power,” he said.
Azmin also expressed his optimism in the increased confidence in Malaysia by investors.
“The latest statistics of foreign direct investments and domestic direct investments are very positive. That shows the level of confidence is back. We should be able to retain the targeted growth,” he said.
Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the shared prosperity concept was more inclusive in nature as it took into consideration the interest of all irrespective of race or religion.
“That is why we used the term ‘shared prosperity’ to address challenges of distributing wealth across races in a more equitable manner,” he said.
He noted that despite the big challenges ahead, the government was confident in implementing its policies.
“Once we identify the data from each sector, we believe the correct measures could be made.
“After that, we will know the programmes that will be implemented in a more orderly manner, with trained resources alongside a monitoring agency,” he said.
Muhyiddin said the shared prosperity concept was unlike the National Economic Policy, which gave emphasis on the bumiputra.
“We now have a more fair and equitable policy,” he said.
He said the government was prepared to listen to the feedback from all relevant stakeholders, including economists at the grassroots level and NGOs regarding the matter.
“I believe this is a bold step made by the Prime Minister as many were uncertain of Pakatan’s policies on economic development,” he said.
Asked whether the concept would be acceptable to the public, Muhyiddin said with proper explanation and commitment, the public would accept it as a way forward for the country.