In our Selected Exhortations category, we republish interesting stuff such as must-read articles and essays not originally written exclusively for the blawg, and which have come to our attention. Please feel free to email [email protected] if you would like to reproduce your writing, but first follow our Writer’s Guide here.
Is PEMANDU taking Malaysians on a joyride, or can it really steer our country to high-income status by 2020?
PEMANDU’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) is ambitious – promising to double the country’s gross national income (GNI) per capita to RM48,000 by 2020, from RM23,700 in 2009.
Such an expansive plan has of course attracted detractors, but supporters of the ETP have voiced rebuttals. These are, however, squabbles over spilt milk.
Much of the criticism to-date has been carping about the slick façade and expensive costs at PEMANDU; or questioning the viability of its lofty targets. These ultimately boil down to the questioning of PEMANDU’s very existence.
REFSA has decided that it is more constructive to hop along with the ride. PEMANDU is here to stay and we shall measure PEMANDU and the ETP on their own terms by looking at their DEEDS and results, respectively. Rather than questioning the setup’s ambitious targets, we shall analyse how well it is measuring up to those aspirations.
The first D of DEEDS is for Data. Mark the date – 25 Jan 2012 – when we declare:
Read our Focus Paper here to find out what the rest of DEEDS stand for. And click here for an archive of our Focus Papers.
Visit us at http://refsa.org | Like us on our Facebook page | Follow our tweets @inforefsa
More on this topic when you check out the following articles:
1. An Open Letter to Idris Jala
2. Why ‘Anything but UMNO/BN’ (ABU)
3. Blawg Report: UM! Chats with Idris Jala
(Featured image accompanying article on the main page courtesy of Jeff Gitchel via flikr, source: www.flickr.com/photos/trainorphans/169239309/)