ENVISIONING

TN50 is as much about transforming the mind and spirit of Malaysians as it is the economy

HERE there is no vision, there is no hope,” so said George Washington Carver, an American botanist and inventor.

What has given us hope as a nation is Vision 2020. That vision, promulgated in 1991, envisages Malaysia to be a developed nation; not just economically, but also politically, socially, spiritually, psychologically and culturally by 2020. We should also become fully united and socially cohesive. We should be anchored in social justice, social and spiritual values, and we should enjoy a quality of life that augurs well for national pride and confidence.

While the Vision has remained intact over the past 27 years, it has gone through some quantification. For example, today our yardstick to measure our developed status is a per capita income of US$12,475 (RM54,153). We have roughly three more years to go and have some catching up to do on the other dimensions as well.