No one left behind in MTR, says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: Not one target group has been left out in the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) Mid-Term Review, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Mid-Term Review (MTR) also emphasised all sectors.

“I went through all the details mentioned by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when tabling the 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review and saw the focus on all sectors.

“Not one target group was left out,” he told reporters after the tabling of the MTR in Parliament yesterday.

He said it is crucial that projects under 12MP are implemented effectively by the civil service and monitored accordingly.

“We only have two years left to see this reach the people effectively,” he added.

Equally important, Ahmad Zahid said, is for the plan to achieve “spiritual happiness”.

“There have been many budgets presented since Malaysia achieved independence and this is currently the 12th Malaysia Plan. Many achieved physical happiness, but less so on the spiritual side. We hope for a balance to be achieved for all Malaysians,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid said the MTR also looked at balancing allocations between urban, outskirts and rural areas, including regions in Sabah and Sarawak.

“The Prime Minister also placed emphasis on creating a balance between developed and soon-to-be developed areas,” he said.

On Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Ahmad Zahid said the Prime Minister suggested that TVET institutions and relevant industries come to an agreement to ensure such graduates can directly be employed by participating industry players.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli described the MTR as almost a new plan to realign the 12MP with the current administration’s Madani concept.

“This MTR is different from previous ones that only looked at implementation successes and projects that had yet to be implemented. This review is almost entirely a new economic and national development plan,” he told reporters in Parliament.

He said the 12MP was tabled in 2021 when the global economy was experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, with the effects still being felt today.

“Also, there was a change of government in November last year. As such, the 12MP that was tabled in 2021 needs to be realigned, particularly in line with the Madani Economy framework,” he added.

Rafizi said the MTR will provide the rakyat with a clear picture of the plans by the unity government to transform the nation.

The 12MP was tabled by the ninth Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Sept 27, 2021, with an estimated development allocation of RM400bil.