There was little, if any, discussions on the recently tabled 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) among the rakyat, especially among the Malays.

The issue of trust in the government might be one of the reasons why this has occurred, Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM) chief executive officer Mohd Nizam Mahshar said today.

Nizam said this when asked whether the lack of discussions on the 11MP meant that the rakyat, the Malays in particular, no longer had faith in the government.

"I'm not entirely sure, but this is one of the symptoms that have shown that they (the Malays) are not too excited and are not so interested in discussing it (the 11MP)," Nizam ( photo ) said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

"And this, to me, is something strange. Because usually, we would wait for the Budget to be tabled every year.

"So what has happened with the 11MP?" Nizam asked, adding that the responses he received from the public on 11MP thus far have been quite negative.

"They question on where the money will be spent. So the issue of trust is definitely there, and this must be addressed," Nizam said.

A bad time for economic issues

Earlier during the press conference, he admitted that now was a "bad time" when it comes to economic issues in the country.

"Now is not a good time, what with several trust issues of the people regarding 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), our low currency, high cost of living and the goods and services tax (GST).

"If the rakyat don't trust (the government), how can policies that have been recommended be implemented?

"It puzzles me as to why the 11MP did not get the necessary coverage, when in fact it is the last plan before we achieve Vision 2020.

"Either the rakyat are not interested, or they no longer trust the government. This needs to be answered," Nizam said.

As for the government's emphasis on the country becoming a high income nation, Nizam pointed to the realities faced by the rakyat.

Cost of living is high

"The cost of living is high. Because of that, the rakyat spend little on food since they cannot afford.

"If a household earns RM2,000 and below a month, a family can only spend RM450 on food and clothes.

"So, every family member gets to spend around RM3 per meal. In Kuala Lumpur, what can you eat with RM3?

"Therefore, how will the government balance its aspiration to become a high income nation when the rakyat earn so low? There's a huge gap between the government's aspirations and the reality," Nizam said.

As such, MTEM, will launch a report on June 17, which, among others, will discuss the economic status of the Malays.

The report will also detail the challenges for Malaysia to become a high income nation and provide suggestions to the government to solve them.

A memorandum, based on the resolutions made at roundtable discussion on the matter today, will be presented to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin during the event next week, Nizam added.