With the Malaysian economy likely to show a growth of 4.7 percent for 2003, the country has certainly turned the corner and is ready to make up for the loss time to become a major trading nation as envisaged by Vision 2020.

Malaysia is now ready to start learning to be on its own as a manufacturing country after no less than three decades of reliance on foreign investors to provide the necessary technology and skill. As a small country, it must to be very focused in its strategy and realise that it should be competing on quality and not on price.

It is therefore high time that Malaysia develops its own brand that would be identified with quality and having all the desirable attributes required by the purchasers in the global market. In other words, we need to reaffirm our commitment to Vision 2020 by reviewing our strategy in order to be relevant and able to harness all the strength and opportunities that come our way.

Incentives given to tertiary education and the development of professional skills, not only as a growing industry but also as a means of developing skill knowledge worker for Malaysia's own requirements, is certainly something to be lauded. The continued development of infrastructure including making broadband Internet accessible to all Malaysians will spur another round of enhancements of our strength and capability to compete and to be relevant in a fast-changing world.

Certainly we need to strengthen the good things we already have and to unlock their values so that it could benefit us better. This is seen in the incentives given to the tourism industry, the proposal to create a second-tier "Petronas" to develop marginal oilfields, the continued support to the agriculture sector and the listing of Felda and perhaps the corporatisation and/or privatisation of a few more government-owned institutions.

In being wholesome and comprehensive, the recent Budget has benefited the enforcement officers and has not forgotten the fate of single mothers, the disabled, pensioners and the Orang Asli.

From the above, one could discern that Dr Mahathir Mohamad has left us with a tall order and a high expectation that we continue with the heavy agenda that he had put in place and that we should not use the recent economic crisis as an excuse for not realising Vision 2020 as initially targeted.

Regardless of whatever political affiliations that we may have, this man deserves a grand farewell for his contributions to the nation and for the man he is - firm, clear-minded, energetic, result-oriented and protective, and for his true love and passion for his country and people.