The newly unveiled 11th Malaysia Plan can only bring meaningful progress if it can be implemented with proper monitoring and evaluation, weakenesses that led to the previous plan's failure said a think tank.

"In the previous 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), monitoring had been insufficient as many initiatives constantly fall-short of their targets, leading to delays and additional cost.

"Such weaknesses must be addressed to prevent individuals from taking advantage of the system.

"Otherwise, an unhealthy mind-set and attitude will take hold, where people assume that 'the government will rescue me' whenever they do not perform, leading to many avoidable inefficiencies," said Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) chairperson Ramon Navaratnam in a statement today.

He said the new five-year plan can only bring meaningful change "when its promises can be delivered and realised", adding, "A strong plan is only as strong as its effectiveness in implementation."

Therefore, said Navaratnam, the projects in the 11MP must be "monitored closely so that the rakyat benefit fully from the government’s policies".

'Act on misconduct'

This, Navaratnam said, entails taking the annual auditor-general’s reports more seriously and have the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police to act on misconduct unearthed in the reports.

He said to hit Vision 2020, "focus on good governance and anti-corruption reforms should have been made a priority".

"Hence, proper evaluations must be conducted whenever a shortfall in performance is observed.

"Evaluations, too, should lead to change in organisational approach, which require government agencies to adapt, modify, and improve on its delivery," said Navaratnam.

In the lead up to the unveiling of the 11MP, DAP Sabah complained that most of the plans laid down for one of the poorest states in the country in the 10MP had not been met and that no report card had ever been prepared to assess the plan's progress.

Among these, Sandakan MP Stephen Wong was reported saying, included proper roads and supply of clean water and electricity.