Malaysia was governed by three men in the 30 years between 1991 and 2020 to fulfil the objectives of Vision 2020: Dr. Mahathir Mohamad 1991 – September 2003; Abdullah Badawi September 2003 – April 2009; and Najib Razak April 2009- May 2018; again Dr. Mahathir Mohamad May 2018 – Feb. 2020.
Mahathir has blamed Abdullah and Najib for the total failure of Vision 2020.with Malaysia more corrupt, disunited and polarised along race and religious lines at the end when compared to the beginning of Vision 2020 in 1991.
Is Mahathir right that Abdullah and Najib were responsible for the total failure of Vision 2020?
Mahathir’s blaming Abdullah and Najib for the total failure of Vision 2020 has reinforced my argument that Parliament should be extended by another two days on April 5 – 6 to debate why Vision 2020 was a total failure with Malaysia more corrupt, disunited and polarised along race and religious lines at the end when compared to the beginning of Vision 2020 in 1991.
All the three former Prime Ministers should be invited to present papers to Parliament before the debate as to why Vision 2020 failed, so that MPs can avail themselves of the views of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Malaysian Prime Minister as to why Malaysia had not been able to achieve Vision 2020 and the nine strategic challenges.
It is important that the nation find out the reasons why Vision 2020 had been a total failure with Malaysia more corrupt, disunited and polarised along race and religious lines at the end when compared to the beginning of Vision 2020 in 1991.
At this rate and result of nation-building in the 30 years from 1991 to 2020, Malaysia is heading to become a failed, divided and kleptocratic state in another three decades.
If we do not want to see Malaysia end up as a failed, divided and kleptocratic state when we mark our first Centennial in 2057, the nation must perform a national introspection as to why Vision 2020 and the nine strategic challenges had failed so far.
Is Mahathir right that Abdullah and Najib had betrayed the achievement of Vision 2020 and the nine strategic challenges or the seeds of failure were laid by Mahathir during his first premiership of 22 years although the pace of corruption, abuses of power and racial and religious polarisation increased in the ensuing premierships, especially in the Najib years.
In the annual Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) launched in 1995, Malaysia was ranked 23rd out of 41 countries. By 2003, Malaysia slipped in score and was ranked No. 37 out of 133 countries, while China, India and Indonesia improved their scores and were ranked 65th, 83rd and 122nd out of 133 countries.
The descent in the Abdullah and Najib years were rapid.
In 2009 TI CPI, Malaysia fell both in score and rank, placed No. 56 out of 180 countries, while China, India and Indonesia increased both in score and rank, placed No. 79, 84th and 111th out of 180 countries.
In the final Najib year and greatly influenced by the billion-ringgit 1MDB scandal, Malaysia fell further in score and rank in the 2017 TI CPI, , ranked 62nd out of 180 countries, while China, India and Indonesia improved further, ranked respectively 77th, 81st and 96th out of 180 countries.
Can Malaysia reset and return to the original nation-building principles the nation’s founding fathers (which included the first four UMNO Presidents) had written into the Constitution and Rukun Negara, stop the national decline and restore our potential to be a world-class nation instead of ending up as a divided, failed and kleptocratic state?
The most important question is whether Mahathir still believed in Vision 2020 and the nine strategic challenges as the basis of Malaysian nation-building.
Does Mahathir still believe in Vision 2020 and the nine strategic challenges?