OPPOSITION leader Hamzah Zainudin today denied that the previous Perikatan Nasional government had mishandled the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).

The Larut MP asked if the Madani government would fully rewrite the plan.

“In the first two years of the plan from 2021-22, the country recorded an average GDP growth of 5.9% yearly. Ninety per cent of the 195 targets were on schedule and 31% achieved the targets.

“This proves the economy was rightly governed by the previous administration,” he said during a debate on the 12MP half-term review.

He said that under the PN government, GDP growth reached a record 8.7% in 2022.

“No one can deny PN’s ability to run the country and the economy.”

Johari Abdul Ghani (Titiwangsa-BN) stood up to rebut Hamzah’s claim that the economy was in better shape under the PN administration.

He said statistics must be viewed holistically.

“We speak about economy we must speak entirely and look at it holistically. For example, in 2020 the Malaysian economy shrank 5.5% while Singapore’s economy shrank only 4.1%, and Indonesia’s, 2.1%,” he said.

“In 2021, the Singaporean economy grew 7.6% from 4.1% and Indonesia to 3.7% from 2.1%. Malaysia, meanwhile, only gained 3.1%.

“We did not recover unlike Singapore and Indonesia. Our 8.7% turnout was due to a low base effect. Ordinary people wouldn’t understand this therefore as a member of parliament we have to be responsible when we speak.”

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had previously attributed the record GDP growth to a strong economic performance in the fourth quarter of 2022 which saw the recovery of private spending and investments, a decrease in unemployment, and the strengthening of the ringgit.

The 12MP is a five-year development plan introduced by the Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration. It encompasses part of the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 (SPV2030) introduced by the previous Pakatan Harapan administration led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Armizan Mohd Ali has said that the SPV2030 was no longer the blueprint for national development. – September 12, 2023.