If you recall Pendidikan Sivik, then you would probably remember learning about Wawasan 2020 and its ambitious list of nine challenges. These challenges are something that Malaysia must achieve in order to become a self-sufficient industrialized nation.
Wawasan 2020, the brain-child of our then-fourth and now-seventh prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, was announced during the Malaysian Trade Council on 28 February 1991. It set a common goal and urged everyone to work towards a better Malaysia.
Source: Anak Sungai Derhaka
However, with just about two years left until the year 2020 arrives, it looks like this Malaysian ideal might need to be postponed just a little. The Malay Mail reported that our visionary leader confessed that we may not be able to achieve his Wawasan 2020 dream after all. Well, at least not in 2020!
He made that confession during his first foreign visit to the 24th Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo, Japan after being sworn in as prime minister. Nonetheless, he still believes that we can attain the status of a fully-developed nation if we have the right policies. We still can do it, we just need a little more time!
Source: The StarTV
“When I stepped down in 2003, I believed we could have achieved Vision 2020 but the succeeding PMs changed the policies and methods we had used to grow the country,” Dr Mahathir said.
He explained that the policies that we have now cannot help us achieve Wawasan 2020 even if we worked diligently.
Dr Mahathir was quoted as saying,
“From 2003 to 2018, we find that our policies are not compatible to achieve Vision 2020. Even if we work extremely hard, we cannot achieve (it).”
“Maybe by 2025 or before that if we adopt the correct policies.”
Perhaps we should rename it to Wawasan 2025!
Source: The Straits Times
Dr Mahathir added that the “right policies” to realise the dream of becoming a developed nation are currently being drafted and will be implemented soon.
He also noted that the halt in realising the Wawasan 2020 was caused by “bad policies” applied by the previous government (Barisan Nasional, BN) under the leadership of Dato Seri Najib Razak.
If case you didn’t know, Dr Mahathir may have been talking about the National Transformation 2050 (TN50). An initiative introduced by Najib to replace Wawasan 2020, its goal is to achieve “first-world nation status by nurturing the current generation of youths to be the next leaders”. Quite similar to Wawasan 2020, don’t you think?
Source: The Star
However, it looks like Najib’s plan will no longer be the nation’s road-map towards success as the government is drafting new policies that cater to the Wawasan 2020 vision!
Since the government is working on clearing the country’s debt and corruption while simultaneously working on improving our policies, it’s obvious why Dr Mahathir would make such statements. With that said, even though we have detoured a little, we are still on the road to realising the nine challenges in the Wawasan 2020 vision.
So, let us work together to ensure that Malaysia will soon stand on the same pedestal as other developed countries!
Also read: Tun M: M’sia Could Get a New National Car Soon with Help From SEA Countries
