Vision 2020 not a failure: Najib
> ‘Mahathir’s idea has weaknesses but it did not fail to reach its target’
KUALA LUMPUR: Vision 2020, which was drafted during the premiership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not a failure, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
He said Mahathir’s vision for the progress of the nation has its weaknesses, but added that it is wrong to say that it has failed to reach its target.
“The fact is, we have not failed, but there are several weaknesses. If we want to set a target, it has to be ambitious.
“We did not fail, we have succeeded, but there is still room for improvement in the future,” he said during the question-andanswer session in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He was responding to an additional query posed by Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS - Rantau Panjang), who had asked the government to explain why Vision 2020 failed to achieve its targets.
Siti Zailah said the failure of Vision 2020 could be seen in the economic disparity between the east and west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and the inability of bumiputra to have a 30% share in businesses.
Najib said external factors that were beyond the control of the government could hinder the success of the vision.
“For example, the world economic recession, drop in oil and commodity prices ... these are all beyond our control.
“We assumed the environment would be conducive, but when the opposite happened, we have to accept that it can affect our achievements,” he said.
Najib also stressed that the current administration had never rejected Vision 2020, despite accusations from several parties.
He added that the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) plan announced by the government last year was in fact a continuity of Vision 2020.
He said TN50 was different as it applied the bottom-up approach, by engaging various stakeholders in a dialogue process.
“We started the TN50 national dialogue as we want a new vision that can be felt by the rakyat (and) appreciated by the rakyat, as it will come from the rakyat for the government’s consideration,” he said.