The changes made to the 13th Malaysia Plan following Rafizi Ramli’s resignation as economy minister were not sudden, according to the government.
The economy ministry said the amendments were instead part of its measures to ensure the 13MP was aligned with the Madani economy’s aspirations.
“The changes and amendments made to the 13MP draft were not sudden in nature or outside of our planning.
“The preparation of the 13MP, meant for the next five years, was executed based on necessity following holistic negotiation processes involving all stakeholders,” it said in a written parliamentary reply.
The ministry said “overhauls and revisions” were made throughout the document’s preparation to ensure every view and proposal received was taken into account while staying true to the government’s main policies.
It was replying to Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who had asked what drastic policy changes necessitated the 13MP being amended at the last minute.
Kiandee, a Bersatu vice-president, was referring to the announcement on June 27 that finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan was given the duties of the economy portfolio and tasked with amending and overhauling the 13MP.
Amir had said he received “a lot of feedback” from other ministers which necessitated an overhaul of the 13MP.
Rafizi questioned why the 13MP needed to be revamped. However, he later said he was happy that nearly all the major policy reforms he had included were retained in the tabled version of the document.
