Former Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has played down the impact of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, saying there is nothing extraordinary about it and that it mirrors the five-year plans introduced in the past.
Ramasamy said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had said that the 13MP would shift from an ethnic-based approach to one that was needs-based, adding however that in practice, the plan was “largely a continuation of the status quo”.
“Whether the plan can be implemented effectively, especially given the rise in foreign debt, remains to be seen,” he said in a Facebook post.
The Urimai chairman also dismissed the initiatives outlined for non-Malays, comparing them to the financial assistance provided to the Bumiputera community to encourage economic participation.
The initiatives outlined for the Bumiputera community included plans to help more Bumiputera companies become publicly listed, and institutional support for Bumiputera entrepreneurs in the supply chain sector.
Meanwhile, Ramasamay said, the Chinese community was promised the development of their new villages, and the focus for the Indian community was on expanding their participation in skills-based programmes.
“These gestures appear more tokenistic than transformative,” he added.
The 13MP will involve a total of RM611 billion over five years, with major upgrades promised in transport, education, health, and renewable energy, among others.
Anwar said RM430 billion in development funds would be from the government’s coffers, while government-linked companies and government-linked investment companies would provide RM120 billion.
The remaining RM61 billion will be derived from the private sector via private-public partnerships.
