I take this opportunity to thank our prime minister for his assurance that he will not allow any race to be marginalised in the national development agenda. In spite of the many responsibilities of the prime minister, he has made a personal pledge and has been very busy at ensuring the delivery mechanisms for the 9MP is effective and efficient.

Our deputy prime minister has also affirmed that the programme must reach the intended target groups and leakages must be avoided. This, too, is at the heart of the issues in the past. The DPM has also been very focused on his concerns and is very much in tune with the PM to ensure the full realisation of the goals of the 9MP.

Such assurance for time to time is necessary to assure sections of our society who might feel sidelined in the rapid development we are experiencing. This is especially so when during the 8MP, due to weak monitoring and impact assessments, sections of our society especially the bottom 30% of the socio-economic ladder has expressed their inability to access public services and resources.

Such groups could include ethnic minorities or even sub-ethnic minorities including cross-sectoral groups such as the rural poor, urban poor, single mothers and disabled people. It is important to state that delivery and monitoring teams must be staffed by multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary teams.

A fundamental guiding principle must be one to reach the needy and actual target groups irrespective of race, religion and location of dwelling. Those responsible for delivery must have a very clear understanding of the dynamics of reaching all groups. No one group should feel alienated in this process. Figures and data pertaining to minorities and sub-groups accessing services must be documented and open for public review.

It is therefore urgently necessary for both the PM and DPM to institute a regular and systematic Social Dialogue Process to receive feedback from ordinary people from the ground especially civil society, people's organisations and professional bodies. We have noted that in the past that ground feelings, frustrations and difficulties in accessing services have not been adequately reflected through the official feedback mechanisms.

A Social Dialogue Process will supplement the formal monitoring process instituted at the National Implementation Action Bodies and the Directorate. Leaders of the top must have access to information and feedback from multiple sources. Civil society that works at the grassroots with the most disadvantaged and marginalised must have some avenue to express their views directly to the PM and DPM.

I therefore take this opportunity to appeal to the PM to establish a regular dialogue process with civil society and professional bodies as a parallel process of the people alongside the formal institutions at the Prime Minister's Department. In so doing, we as a nation will strive together for justice and fairness for all people groups .

The writer is executive director, Yayasan Strategik Sosial .