DR Mahathir Mohamad should not be petty by saying that Putrajaya’s National Transformation Plan 2050 (TN50) had copied his Vision 2020, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. 

Khairy said it was disappointing that the former prime minister had dismissed TN50, which was the hopes, dreams and aspirations of young Malaysians for the future.

“For you (Dr Mahathir), it is just about your personal legacy. It has been reduced to Vision 2020 versus TN50. 

“How sad. And how petty. I have explained countless times in great detail how both are part of the grand narrative of the Malaysian story. A continuum of success and development. But for you, it is all about your legacy. Me, myself, Mahathir,” he said in statement today. 

Khairy was responding to Dr Mahathir’s comment yesterday that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s TN50 was an admission that he had failed to complete Vision 2020 and that 32 more years were needed to achieve the aspirations of Vision 2020, which he mooted in 1991.

Vision 2020 was introduced by Dr Mahathir during the tabling of the Sixth Malaysia Plan. It envisages Malaysia becoming a self-sufficient, industrialised nation and charts a paths towards economic prosperity, social well-being, world-class education, political stability and psycological balance, among others. 

Khairy said TN50 was a continuation of long-term planning that had become a practice in developing Malaysia. 

He said since Vision 2020 would expire in two years, the country needed a new national aspiration that took into account recent developments that did not exist when Vision 2020 was introduced.

“Does Dr Mahathir think that after 2020, we no longer need a long-term plan and new aspirations to bring our country forward?

“I think Malaysians want to see us put a higher target for the next 30 years instead of being a stagnant country and no longer pursuing progress. 

“TN50 has taken into account new developments that did not exist in the past. Vision 2020 is unable to provide Malaysia with the technology to face the future, such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things.

“Vision 2020 does not take into account significant future developments such as ageing society, rapid urbanisation and the need to generate green energy. 

“This is why TN50 is needed – because these are new developments that are not contained in Vision 2020.”

Khairy said the difference between TN50 and Vision 2020 was the approach and implementation, where the government took a bottom-up approach in TN50 by respecting the voices of the people. 

“Tens of thousands of aspirations are gathered from millions of Malaysians so that our nation’s future will be built on the dreams and aspirations of the people themselves. 

“This is in contrast to Vision 2020, which did not collect people’s voices but was a top-down vision announced by Dr Mahathir.

“TN50 is not merely the legacy of Najib, Barisan Nasional or Umno, but it is the legacy of every Malaysian who has shared their aspirations.”

Khairy said another difference was that Vision 2020 did not have a thorough implementation plan with quantitative targets for all the challenges presented. 

“TN50 will see a thorough implementation plan along with a clear quantitative target to achieve the country’s aspirations by 2050.

“But, who says Vision 2020 has failed? According to World Bank forecasts, Malaysia is expected to surpass the threshold of a high-income nation (Gross National Income per capita of US$12,236) as early as 2020. “There is no direct effort to divert people’s views through TN50, or by any means. In all TN50 dialogues, I always called TN50 as continuation of long-term plans like DEB and Vision 2020. I never dismissed Vision 2020.”

Khairy said although he disagreed with Dr Mahathir’s various policies and approaches when he was prime minister, among the things he agreed and supported was Vision 2020.

“I am proud to be part of the Vision 2020 generation. And I want youth today to be proud of TN50.” – January 4, 2018.