Wawasan 2020 = nowhere in sight?
Wawasan 2020, also known as Vision 2020, is a Malaysian dream………..a dream of Malaysia being a developed nation with an economy which is 8 times stronger than that of the 1990s. It was first proposed by our former prime minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad in 1991, during the tabling of the 6th Malaysia Plan.
We’re already in the year 2008, 17 years after the Vision 2020 proposal….which also means we’ve passed the halfway mark to achieve Vision 2020. The halfway mark should be the middle of year 2005.
So, how far have we progressed? We’ve constructed the building which used to be the world’s tallest building – Petronas Twin Towers, in 1998. We’ve also constructed KL Sentral in 2001, started Multimedia Super Corridor in 1996, built Light Rail Transit system (LRT) in 1999, and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in 1998. Those were the significant ones.
But since 2000, things have been a little bit quiet….(except for the Monorail which is a little bit unstable at times).
Is it because our leaders have forgotten about this Vision 2020 thing? Or because they’re too occupied with other issues? Or maybe it’s because they think 2020 is too optimistic for them….2040 might be a better year?
Anyway, from what I can see, our country is very very far away from being a developed country. Singapore is a developed country and look at how much difference between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. We’re much more disorganized than they are. That is why in my opinion, Malaysia is still considered as a “developing” country….and has a lot more to go before we can achieve Vision 2020. We used to be “more developed” than Thailand…but now, they’re better than us. As of now, we’re actually competing with the likes of Vietnam…which, 10 years ago…was still considered as a 3rd world country.
So what happens to our Vision 2020? Why are we progressing so slow? Shouldn’t someone be doing something to keep this momentum going before we start to lose our “vision”?
Take a look at our current condition…..and see if people can start realizing that we’re actually quite far away from achieving our Vision 2020…maybe too far away. And before we knew it…it might already be 2020 and Malaysia still has nothing to show to the world. That would be a very very big disappointment.
For now, let us all hope that our government will remember the Malaysian dream for an ideal nation, for a developed nation….the Malaysian dream called as Wawasan 2020.
Interesting… Personally, I think vision 2020 has been left unattended mainly because the person who came up with it is now retired. You see it happening everywhere, in schools, at workplaces, etc… Once the person who comes up with a concept is not there anymore, and the concept is not fully established yet, the new guys will hardly ever continue with what was left behind.
Anyway, that’s what I think
Terras last blog post..The Independence Day Post
Terra
31 Aug 08 at 10:47 am
@ Terra
Mmm i think it’s more like they are becoming less optimistic about 2020….means it’s not achievable anymore :T
Alvin Lim
31 Aug 08 at 4:55 pm
I feel that everyone seems to be looking over their shoulders and hoping there’s somebody actually taking Vision 2020 seriously and working hard and smart for it. But if everyone’s assuming someone’s else is doing it, then nobody’s doing it. To his credit, Mr. Mahathir Mohd. was the kind of leader that has the strength and determination to whip people into action. The results have been the string of “achievements” listed in your post.
But the problem is our people are lethargic for success. Some people are getting easy breaks, so there is no reason to strive for excellence. Others who are not so “privileged” are forced to work twice or thrice as hard, too busy providing for the family to care about trivial things like “loving your country”. It’s a problem that everybody’s been shoving under the carpet for years. And today, it has ballooned into a political tension that sees no easy or immediate resolution.
The solution is actually simple, because for many years the government thought that people were happy with the “status quo”. But due to unexpected turn of events and a few brave individuals who dared to speak out, the people have spoken, and they’re not happy. All the government needs to do now is address all the matters directly and promptly, matters that the Opposition parties are currently promising the people should they seize power someday. I believed a certain political figure wouldn’t have won a recent landslide victory if the government had been much more pro-active in mending the country’s various problems (instead of indulging in name-callings that, frankly, everybody’s now really tired of). I’m sure many Opposition supporters still aren’t 100% sure if the promises made by their parties would be fulfilled, but it’s better than leaving in power a group of people who are not only unwilling to address most of these issues, but refuse to believe that they are dire.
The Big Movie Freak
2 Sep 08 at 2:52 am
@ Big Movie Freak
I believe that’s why people still respect Dr M even though Dr M himself was surrounded by rumors/uncertainties/controversies during his time as PM. At least, he was fierce enuf to control the other politicians and he have things to show.
We’ll just have to see then. The oppositions do look a bit like directionless…and sometimes they even fought among themselves. But when people are desperate, some unknown dudes can just be their new heroes to replace the existing ppl who they no longer trust. I think that was what happened in the election. A – untested. B – failed us. So we’ll take a risk and choose A since we already got “nothing more to lose”.
Tengok macam mana lah. hahaha
Alvin Lim
2 Sep 08 at 9:43 am
Wawasan 2020 was a great idea. It is a target, maybe not reachable, but it helps nonetheless. i have seen too many negative comments about wawasan 2020 i will not say much here accept for a simple analogy; If we want to get an A for a test we aim for the best, a 100%. It doesnt mean we will achieve a 100%. but we will get close to it. An ‘A’. Pls rethink.
But on the other hand, its true. wawasan 2020 is far from our reach because of the negative feedback we get from the malays themselves. Everyday saying its never going t happened. Dr M did a lot. Putrajaya, cyberjaya, KLIA, MSC was all under the umbrella of wawasan 2020. We have yet to see any improvements from the new ministers except quarrels for top positions(and they call themselves muslims?).
Muzaffar
7 Mar 09 at 6:45 pm
@ Muzaffar
I do believe in your reasoning in the first paragraph that Wawasan 2020 is more like a vision, an end goal. But..how much have we progressed towards that direction? We progressed quite a lot during Dr M’s time, but now.. ? Zero. Nada. Although 2020 is still a good 11 years away, it’s more like a lost dream that an actual dream now.
Alvin Lim
8 Mar 09 at 12:06 pm