Achieving any vision requires strong political will

VISION 2020 was a Malaysian ideal introduced by our fourth (now seventh) Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 1991.

But along the way, as we all know, it lost its acuity and the upshot is we didn’t achieve fully developed nation status at the dawn of 2020.

In the decades that followed, the brainchild of the visionary Dr Mahathir got squinted, blurred and distorted by social and political divisiveness, moral and ethical deficits, inequity and a faltering economy.

In the interim, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the National Transformation 2050 policy to replace Vision 2020. And now, Dr Mahathir has revived his vision with a new initiative called Shared Prosperity Vision 2030.

However we may title our national ideals and endeavours, and whatever time-frame we set to achieve our goals, there needs to be real political will, commitment and action at all levels of society to help realise the vision of unity, justice and prosperity for all.

The highest priority should be placed on education and developing our human resources to meet 21st century challenges; reinvigorating our economy in line with global demands and to serve all our communities; and, above all, fostering a Malaysian identity with the highest sense of integrity and free of any form of discrimination.

Only then, as the lyrics of Wawasan 2020, the patriotic song composed by Akbar Nawab, say – “Vision 2020, One view away, Not a dream but a reality, Together we succeed” – can the vision be truly realised.

RUEBEN DUDLEY

Petaling Jaya