KUALA LUMPUR: The government will make sure that opportunities under the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 will be made available only to those who can produce results, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today.
The prime minister said they should prepare themselves with training and necessary skills when given opportunities by the government.
“What happened in Vision 2020, when we gave them opportunities, they sold off the opportunities, they got rid of the opportunities, they wanted quick money. This caused the vision (2020) to be unachievable,” he said at the question-and-answer session at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (Isis) Praxis Conference 2019 here.
He said Malaysians need to respond accordingly towards incentives or programmes outlined in the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 in order for it to be successful.
Wrong attitude needs to be eliminated, he said when responding to a question from Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Azman Ujang on the effectiveness of programmes implemented under Vision 2020
Noting that in many cases, it was the weakness of implementation that had caused Malaysia not to achieve the target, Dr Mahathir said people with the right attitude could contribute much towards making achievements.
To a question whether the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 is achievable because it only involves a 10- year period compares to Vision 2020, the Prime Minister said it is a continuation which actually involved almost 30 years of planning.
“What is needed now is to correct the failures, to find the weak points and overcome them, and this we have done because we know why we cannot achieve Vision 2020 by the targeted time.
“From now on, it is about correcting the mistakes of Vision 2020 and taking advantage of the vision, and strengthen the modus operandi in achieving the target,” he added.
The prime minister is confident that the current civil service can contribute in more efficient ways in achieving national agenda.
However, Dr Mahathir noted that some personnel need to be trained, given exposure and guidance.
“During the period when we had a kleptocratic government, not only money was stolen but the whole civil service was undermined. They were made to think that corruption is alright.
“The top man is corrupt so they think why can’t you take for yourself. So, when we (Pakatan Harapan government) took over, the first thing we did was to get rid of corrupt officers and clean up the whole machinery of government.
“But then when we have new personnel in the machinery, there is a need to train, to give them the right exposure and guidance,” he said.
The two-day conference which starts today is aimed at reviewing progress made by Malaysia in almost 30 years since Vision 2020 was first announced in 1991. – Bernama
