Posted by 2019 will soon come to an end and yet we are nowhere close to achieving vision 2020. Malaysia’s vision 2020 aims to achieve a self-sufficient industrialised nation by the year 2020 which encompasses all aspects of life from economic prosperity, social well-being, educational world-class, political stability as well as psychological balance. Introduced since the year 1991 by our Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia is still struggling to place itself as a developed country.
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1. Religious extremism and intolerance have lead to rapid deterioration among ethnic relations
Even though our Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but the practice is not entirely ideal. Everyone wants to understand and respect each other’s religious beliefs, not to forget even our Rukunegara calls for all Malaysians to ensure “a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions.” At the end of the line, it is up to us to step up to the challenge of “establishing a matured liberal and tolerant society” in which all Malaysians are free to practice their cultures, customs, beliefs while trusting as belonging to one nation.
2. Lack of talent in the STEM fields at the innovation and scientific development is one of the major hindrances towards establishing a scientific and liberal society.
Education plays a critical role in producing skilled human capital for economic growth and higher income. An increase in the talent pool will not only propel our country towards achieving a high-income economy but also reaching towards becoming a developed nation. In most developed countries, colleges and universities aim to inspire creativity among their students with a mix of extracurricular activities. Our education sector should strive to inspire creativity as well instead of being fixed on achieving several “As” for our current and future generations can get.
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3. Lack of a caring culture and caring society towards achieving a united and harmonious nation
We may have various bodies of voluntary and non-governmental organisation in all aspects of social and community life. If we want to achieve a fully caring society, it is essential to impart an enduring caring culture within every Malaysian citizen. A caring society should also extend toward speaking against the injustice happening around us. Setting up more foundations to help the less fortunate in society and organising public campaigns to raise the awareness of Malaysians is a momentous step towards attaining a united and harmonious nation.
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4. Government wealth distribution efforts are not effective enough in reducing the income gap
Even though the income gap in Malaysia between the rich and poor are closing in, our country is still one of the highest income inequalities in Southeast Asia. With the rising cost of living, Malaysians within the lower income brackets will be severely affected by these discrepancies. To overcome income inequality in Malaysia, our government should strive to make higher education widely accessible for all Malaysians to reduce the inequality in wages. Increasing the taxes for the top income brackets will help to reduce the income inequality in Malaysia as well. This initiative would help to promote a fair and equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth.Â
5. Religion, politics, and race-based policies continue to prevail in preventing a united Malaysian nation
Our ethnic groups continue to divide, as religion, political manipulation and preferential policies still hinder our country from achieving unity among all races in Malaysia. In rural areas, people of different races rarely coming into contact with each other can lead to the divide among societies. Even among us, we tend not to open ourselves to opportunities in developing interethnic relations due to a lack of diversity in schools, workplaces, language, and cultural differences. Â
6. Malaysian’s mentalities and ethics still have a long way towards achieving a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed society
Even though Malaysia is an upper-middle-income country comprises of a sizeable educated middle class with various ethnic groups, religious and racial tensions is still an issue today. To become a liberated society, our language, ethics, and value of comments needs to improve to reflect a high standard of our mentality.
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7. The current ruling government plans for reformation are slowing down while promises made were not met yet till now
Malaysia’s political landscape took on a new facelift after the 14th General Election with the Pakatan Harapan government pushing towards strengthening the nation’s socio-economic development. Due to the slow pacing of our economic, political, and institutional reforms, it has become evident that the promises given out during last year’s historic election result have dwindled. For the latest updates on the promises made by the Pakatan Harapan, head over to Harapan Tracker.
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8. Allegations, counter-accusations, insinuations, and innuendos are still rooted deep in our society
Even as a developing nation, our country has achieved success in many fields. Unfortunately, there are many positive values and practices that we have disregard which leads to:
- Politicians who are concerned about their power over the stability of the country.
- Housing developers mainly focus on making quick profits instead of supporting consumer needs.
- Dishonest taxi drivers overcharging passengers.
- Dishonest citizens double parking and cutting lanes on the streets while driving.
There are still many negatives to note down. Self ethics and noble values need to be instilled to become a fully-developed nation akin to vision 2020.
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Do you think Vision 2020 can still be achievable in the years to come? Leave us your thoughts on the comment sections below. Head over to Jobstore.com and unveil your next job opportunity.
You Jing is a content writer who writes career and lifestyle contents to inspire job seekers and employers alike on their journey to work-life balance, empowerment and transformation in their career path.
Reach me at youjing@jobstore.com