BARISAN Nasional’s National Transformation 2050 (TN50) agenda is an admission that the federal government is unable to achieve Vision 2020, its architect Dr Mahathir Mohamad said.

The former prime minister, who came up with Vision 2020 for the country, said Putrajaya’s new agenda to be achieved by 2050 was “so far ahead” that most Malaysians “would be gone” by the time the year arrived.

TN50 – a new 30-year transformation plan for the country – was announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak at the 2017 Budget tabling in the Dewan Rakyat last October.

Dr Mahathir’s Vision 2020 was introduced during the tabling of the Sixth Malaysia Plan in 1991. The goal is for Malaysia to be a self-sufficient industrialised nation by 2020.

“Those who created TN50 believe they don’t have to answer if it were to fail,” he said in a live interview on Facebook earlier today posted on the Bersatu website. He is now chairman of Bersatu and of the opposition pact, Pakatan Harapan (PH).

He was responding to questions on Vision 2020 read out by Bersatu women wing (Srikandi) chief Rina Harun.

“The effort now is just to divert attention to something else, and make people forget about Vision 2020 because they can’t meet the deadline.

“When 2050 comes, many Malaysians would no longer be around… this is to ‘mengkaburi mata rakyat’ (deceive the people).”

He said Malaysia needed the best management that focused on the people’s needs, education, training, and increase in productivity.

“We must have the infrastructure, and a trained and people-friendly administration. I am sure we can produce experts in various fields who can grow the national economy and uphold democracy.

“We have ideas how to do this. But we will also have to deal with the high national debt, destroy kleptocracy, and address the collapse of the rule of law,” he said.

When he unveiled Vision 2020 as prime minister, Dr Mahathir had also written a personal message that was sealed in a time capsule, to be opened in 2020.

Asked if it should still be opened, he said yes.

“It has to be dug up. We had big dreams. Whether we fulfil them or not, we must see what was written in the capsule.

“Even I have forgotten what was written,” he said. – August 24, 2017.