A national planetary health strategy could help the 12th Malaysia Plan make lasting systemic change

As part of the 12th Malaysia Plan, we need to demonstrate responsible stewardship of the country's finite resources, such as the 130-million-year-old rainforest in the Royal Belum State Park in Perak. — Filepic/The Star

The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) was launched in October 2021 with some fanfare – and with good reason. The plan marks a change in the government’s approach. It focuses on three key themes: resetting the economy; strengthening security, wellbeing and inclusivity; and advancing sustainability.

As we start to emerge from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic we must move from plan to implementation to begin our recovery, but do so without causing further harm. This is not easy. We have been deprived of so many things for the last 18 months. Everyone is keen to “get back to normal”. But we need to look forward with our sights not just at our individual wellbeing but also on how we, as citizens, use what the 12MP plan provides to help us start to do things differently.