It is just about five years to 2020.

A developed Malaysia by 2020 is only a dream. It is a mere vision in the minds of Malaysians. It was a mission which needs to be fine-tuned. Can Malaysia achieve the status of a developed nation by 2020?

Malaysia is a paradox in many ways - it is rich in natural resources, possesses a thriving industry, and has a large pool of technical power, but a mass of its people are poverty stricken; and in terms of human development, it can be amongst the worst-off nations. We started off well enough after independence, but the lack of progress on many fronts thereafter is a major cause for concern.

An old fatalism has begun to reassert itself and we have begun to lose our confidence. The goal as we ascend is not an unrealistic one. Extrapolating from current growth rates and trends with various improvements and directions, we can take to providing our citizens with a decent standard of living.

Past successes, too, bear them out. We were able to produce enough food for our population. We started from scratch to have today a satellite system and a high-level communication system linking remote regions of our country. Our failure motivates us to try harder. The same sense can led us to success in many other areas.

The ultimate aim: a Malaysia free from poverty, strong in trade and commerce, science and technology, providing health and education to all. A developed Malaysian Nation. An expression simply expressed has been the hope of Malaysians since independence. In the new millennium, we have to accomplish that goal.

We have to evolve creative political leadership at all levels of governance - from new villages, kampongs, state assemblies to Parliament - with a new vision for the millennium. The ideals of the Malaysian Vision 2020 has to transcend the visionary statement of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the proponent of the Malaysian 2020 statement - a mere statement without logistics for implementation.

Dr Mahathir did not have perfect Vision 20//20. As an elder statesman, he remains in the public eye for his role in nation building, without reaching out to people and to build bridges across religious and social divides.

We have to sincerely focus on transforming our Nation into a developed nation with REALITY. We have now to share our ideas to evolve a new creative political leadership at all levels of

governance - from the kampongs, new villages, the state machinery to the Parliamentarians.

We have to interact with the various research and development machinery and interact with domain experts, scientists, technologists, bureaucrats, members of industry, media, farmers, political leaders and the youth to play an important role in reshaping our thoughts, to arrive with a new ‘Manifesto Agenda’.

The political leaders have to contribute to a new vision with resolve and vision to serve the people through the existing political system in a democratic environment.

We need a visionary leadership to helm the affairs to a percolating effect at all levels of governance. We have to transcend the ideals of a manifesto which were usually prepared for elections to help citizens understand what every party promises to do if it comes to power.

We have now to draw up a Manifesto for Change for elected representatives in kampongs, new villages, state legislative assemblies and Parliament - as too for the people of the country to equip them with information to demand good performance for their representation at the various levels.

A focussed, clear vision

We have to be realistic to the realms of creative leadership, people’s aspirations, developed and evolving a focussed, clear vision has become pertinent for the grass-roots to the higher echelons of political leadership.

Igniting the minds of the youth to dedicate themselves to the nation and contributing their best to bring a change in thinking, to dedicate themselves to the nation and contribute their best to bring a change in thinking to make our nation, Malaysia, a developed country. As it is said that “the ignited minds are the most powerful resource on earth, above earth and under the earth”.

The need of the hour is not talk of peace, progress and prosperity, but honest efforts to the steps in that direction.

A leader must have

  • A vision,
  • Passion to realise the vision,
  • Be able to travel on and explore earth,
  • Know how to manage both success and failure,
  • The courage to take tough decisions,
  • Nobility in management,
  • To be transparent in every action,
  • To become the master of the problem and succeed,
  • To work with integrity and succeed with integrity.
Hence, we need creative leaders who have the above nine qualities and a vision to work for it. The youth of our country should inherit a nation that is a leader not a follower.

The realms of the Malaysian Vision 2020 should transcend reality, to create a new paradigm shift to create the needed change.

To begin with let us draw a distinctive profile where Malaysia has core competence in:-

(1) Agricultural and and food processing,

(2) Education and healthcare,

(3) Information and communication technology,

(4) Infrastructure development, which includes reliable and quality electric powers, surface transport and infrastructure for all parts of the country including rural and urban areas,

(5) Self-reliance and critical technologies.

Towards a true vision

Transforming Malaysia into a developed nation entails a vision of a country whose citizens live well above the poverty line, their education and health are of high standards, national security

assured, core competence in certain pertinent areas enables the production of quality goods - for competitive export as well – to bringing in all round and inclusive prosperity to the nation, ultimately bringing smiles to the faces of millions of plus people.