KUALA LUMPUR: The 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) will focus on essential policies that can create beneficial societal and economic shifts, instead of merely giving more incentives and handouts, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli says.
The Economy Minister said previously many deemed economic blueprints as merely a government’s expenditure list and 13MP intends to change that.
“It (economic blueprints) should be a list of policies that are needed for structural changes.
“So, 13MP will be focusing on policies and programmes that we feel are needed to influence public behaviour to a developed country level,” said Rafizi to reporters after a final engagement session with industry representatives for the 13MP on Thursday (Jan 23).
Rafizi also said 13MP will see the introduction of several new incentives.
“But, the incentives won’t be cash handouts and projects. Instead, these incentives will be built alongside policies that are needed to facilitate the behaviour change we need in our economy,” said Rafizi.
Rafizi said the government is committed to prioritising enabling policies to drive creativity and growth in key industries.
“We are shifting from depending on the huge investments by public funds.
“It shouldn’t be like that. Let the private sector move ahead, but we work and we use public resources to lift them up, which is quite a different shift that we need to do in the next five years,” said Rafizi.
Rafizi said the engagement session was necessary to harmonise government policies with industry players.
“They (industry players) need to understand government policies and also the challenges we face.
“We, as the government, should also know the challenges and interests of the industry,” said Rafizi.
The 13MP, which is expected to be tabled in the middle of 2025, is a five-year roadmap for the government to implement between 2026 and 2030.
The last Malaysian economic blueprint - 12MP - was launched in 2021 and it ends in 2025.
