Malaysia 2.0 needs more than a booming economy

Around 2028, Malaysia is likely to attain the status of a high-income economy, as defined by the World Bank, after spending decades as an upper-middle income player. — Bloomberg

SOUTH-East Asia’s boom years may be behind it but the region is steadily becoming more prosperous.

Few places exemplify those go-go times with their achievement, and excess, like Malaysia. Now the federation is on the cusp of being admitted to a club dominated by the advanced economies whose material wealth it has long aspired to emulate.