12MP all about the people and their well-being

PUTRAJAYA: True to the spirit of the Malaysian Family, the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) aims to bring about socio-economic development that is fair, equitable and inclusive, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“In the plan, I mentioned initiatives for Malays, Orang Asli, Chinese, Indians, persons with disabilities and women.

“Programmes are also in place to boost development in Sabah and Sarawak as well as in less developed states.

“The focus of the 12MP is not just to spur economic growth but also to lift the well-being of the Malaysian Family and to eradicate poverty,” he said in an interview with selected media.

The Prime Minister said he had informed his Cabinet to ensure that projects carried out are people-centric.

“We must ensure that whatever the government undertakes, it will be people-centric. We must focus on delivering what is beneficial to the people,” he said.

While there are initiatives to boost bumiputra participation in the economy, a comprehensive socio-economic development plan for the Orang Asli community is being drafted that will give a much-needed boost to their income and well-being.

Ismail Sabri said for the Chinese community, particularly those in new villages, the government would continue to assist this group so that they could expand their businesses and provide these villages with more infrastructure and social amenities.

There will be upskill training courses and targeted financial assistance as well as entrepreneurship opportunities to be offered to the Indian community.

The 12MP also spells out dedicated programmes and courses for persons with disabilities, where the number stands at 539,000 individuals in 2020, and to encourage women to remain and return to work; access to childcare and senior citizens’ care services will be increased.

For Sabah and Sarawak, the Prime Minister has given his assurance to them that the government is committed not just on resolving ongoing issues under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 but on bringing about more development to the states.

“Poverty eradication is also an important focus of the plan where we target that by the end of 2025, the hardcore poor category would be zero.

“Our commitment is to ensure everyone can enjoy a decent standard of living,” he added.

Ismail Sabri wants better coordination and monitoring of aid and training programmes so that initiatives to ease poverty achieve its objective.

For this, district offices will be roped in to help collate data and coordinate to ensure better distribution of aid so that more people can benefit from the government’s assistance.

The Human Resources Development Fund has been tasked to coordinate and monitor training programmes offered by ministries and agencies, he said, adding that this would ensure that programmes offered meet labour market demand.

“Aside from offering courses so that one has carpentry skills or knows how to bake or sew, it is also important to teach them e-commerce, online business and the gig economy as that is the current demand,” he noted.

He said courses tailored to certain localities should also be considered, citing that in Pengerang where there is an oil and gas industry, training for the people there should be relevant to the industry.

“Likewise, the people in Langkawi should be given skills training and knowledge that they can use to generate income from tourism-related activities,” he said.

On the 100-day performance target set for his ministers, Ismail Sabri said this was to ensure they hit the ground running.

Asked what would happen if a minister does not meet his KPI, Ismail Sabri said, “That’s the reason why I set the 100 days deadline.

“Because I expect them to perform and I want them to perform.

“After the 100 days, they will have to work on mid-term and long-term plans for their ministries. They will also have a report card where a committee and I will review their performance,” he added.

Ismail Sabri said feedback from the public on ministers’ performance would also be taken into account.

“I do spend some time reading comments on social media. That is one way for me to gauge the people’s acceptance of the government,” he said.

When announcing his Cabinet line-up on Aug 27, Ismail Sabri instructed his Cabinet to present a report card to the people for them to evaluate their performance in the first 100 days in office.

The Prime Minister said he would address the nation on his 100th day of administration on Dec 10.