Chammellim5 oyr ideal Malaysia

The Youth and Sports Minister talks to Sunday Star about his mission of leading the 2050 National Transformation discourse.

A MALAYSIAN national identity is a key issue that the 2050 National Transformation (TN50) discourse will seek to tackle.

According to Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the TN50 discourse won’t just be about asking Malaysians to set targets for the country in terms of development and what they want to see in place 33 years from now.

TN50 will also be a discussion on what the Malaysian identity should be by 2050 – in terms of how we view ourselves on the basis of our diverse racial, religious and state backgrounds.

Speaking at a media briefing on TN50 at his office recently, Khairy, whose ministry has been tasked with leading the discourse with the country’s youth, outlined the many reasons why TN50 is important to Malaysia.

The TN50s policy document, which will be the result of all the feedback that will be compiled from the people, will guide all of the Government’s policies and spending for the next three decades, he says.

Assuring the people that all their views will be accepted, Khairy urged Malaysians to take the opportunity to channel their ideas, suggestions and aspirations on the Malaysia they want to see in 2050.

> Will TN50 define a Malaysian identity?

We will discuss not just development and jobs but changes in our society in terms of identity and what it will mean to be a Malaysian in 2050. Should we at that point still be defined mainly by ethnicity and religion, or should we have a more inclusive view of ourselves as Malaysians? There will be five main areas of engagement in TN50, one of which is having an inclusive, vibrant and open society. We will have a discourse on values and what a Malaysian identity is.

> Can TN50 settle the big debate on what it actually means to be a Malaysian?

At least we will know the aspirations of the majority of young Malaysians on what they want to see by 2050. If they say our identity must be focused on Malaysia and not race, or state, then that will be our aspiration. It does not mean that we shed our racial identity overnight, but it will be helpful for us to know that in 2050, we no longer want to be too obsessed with just state or ethnic or religious identity. We must identify the direction we need to head towards.

I don’t want to make an unrealistic promise by saying this process will resolve everything. But it’s good to have a long-term aspiration. If we ask Malaysians to decide on their identity today, they may not be ready.

But if we ask them to identify their aspirations for the next 30 years, they may be more prepared because that’s still a long time away. We will be able to know what is really in their hearts, which they may be too scared to say out loud now, because they may feel it still involves sensitivities.

> What will be the process to formulate TN50?

The Prime Minister asked me to collect views from youth in the first few months of this year, then we move to other communities. This year will be spent collecting views from the public. Next year we will have more focused discussions with experts to see whether the views and suggestions are realistic.

For example, if we get a suggestion that Malaysia in 2050 should have a colony on the moon or Mars, we need to check whether this is realistic or not in the first place. Near the end of next year or early 2019 we will have a conclusion, in the form of a policy document on TN50 to be announced by the PM.

> What happens to the final policy document for TN50?

Once we have the policy document, we will have a direction for Malaysia for the next 30 years. From then on, every single policy by the Government will be directed to achieving the targets set by the TN50 policy document. Every fiveyear Malaysia Plan by the Economic Planning Unit will refer to TN50, which will be our the 30-year longterm vision.

> How prepared is the Government to make major changes to meet TN50s goals?

We must be ready. TN50 is not a public relations exercise but a serious undertaking that will allow us to plan the Government's policy, spending, all of which will be designed around the aspirations of TN50.

Take the education system. Many people say we should not be making frequent changes to the policy, but we must be prepared to make certain changes. For example, if we find that how we are teaching our children today is no longer relevant for 2050, then we need to make these changes early and communicate it well.

> Is TN50 Malaysia's master blueprint for the next 30 years?

This will be the collective aspiration of Malaysians. When we announce the tagline of TN50, you will understand better. We want Malaysians themselves to decide. When we know the aspirations of the rakyat, we will know how to structure Government spending after this, and which areas to invest in.

> Why try to solve future problems when there are so many issues now that need to be settled?

Having TN50 does not mean we are trying to shift the people’s attention to the next 30 years and not solve today’s problems. We try to solve all the problems we have now through various initiatives, but shouldn’t we also discuss the bigger changes coming in the next 30 years? To me, a country that does not prepare for the future will fail.

> How will TN50’s success or failure be measured?

We don’t want only to measure it against Gross Domestic Product growth.

That’s very 1990s. We must measure overall public well-being. If we used to say that we must grow every year by an average of 8% to get a per capita income of US$15,000, that’s merely an average. It doesn’t talk about income inequality.

The Prime Minister said that in 2050 we must be among the top 20 countries in the world in terms of public well-being. That’s ultimately the outcome.

> Did the PM lay down specific targets?

What do Malaysians want us to be top 20 in? Do we want to be top 20 in global competitiveness, or in the UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) Human Development Index, or in (world football governing body) FIFA’s top 20 ranking? There are many rankings. The PM only spoke in general terms that Malaysia should be in the top 20. But which top 20 ranking is for all of us to discuss.

> What was his mandate to you when asking you to manage the TN50 youth discourse?

He wants me to make sure that whoever has an idea and suggestion can convey it to the Government. He also wants me to convey to Malaysians the major developments that will take place over the next 30 years. We know for example, the projected population of the country in 2050, the state of our natural resources like oil, and so on.

The PM told me, “you have to think of jobs for the future.” He said we can’t keep talking about producing more doctors, today there is a glut of doctors, the result of planning from 20 years ago. The PM said we must think from now about having data scientists, artificial intelligence experts, robotics experts, will we have enough for the future?

> How do you respond to those who say that TN50 is a political programme for the Government to get mileage?

It’s not a political programme because this is a discussion that involves the next 30 years. We don’t know who will be in Government then. That’s why we want this to come from the rakyat, so that whoever is in Government will already have a process that is owned by the public.

> Will you accept views and suggestions critical of the Government?

Critical views should be constructive. If people are critical just for the sake of slamming the Government and not because there is something they want addressed, its not constructive. If you just condemn, we will accept, but there’s nothing we can do with such views. If you say that the Government’s planning on water resource management currently is not right, for example, and we need to change things, then that's okay.

> Will you engage the Opposition on TN50?

I will brief Members of Parliament from all parties including the Opposition because this is a joint aspiration. I will engage them. I want to see everyone doing events such as round table sessions, debates and forums on TN50. We want to decentralise this process. If there are undergraduate groups who want to hold sessions to discuss TN50 and their event is not in the official calendar of events, I will still accept their findings or memoranda.

> Are there programmes similar to TN50 in other countries?

I was told Dubai is using the same approach by asking its people for views and suggestions on their future. Singapore last year did a post-SG50 dialogue where they asked their people what their aspirations were after being a country for 50 years, so it’s not just us.