Get rid of bad habits to ensure success of 13MP, government told

Free Malaysia Today

11 hours ago

Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said good ideas should be preserved and improved upon, regardless of which administration introduced them.
KUALA LUMPUR : Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has warned that the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) would fail if 'old habits' that have long undermined the implementation of national policies persist.
Debating the five-year development blueprint in the Dewan Rakyat today, Rafizi said Malaysians must do away with several tendencies.
The first is the incoming government's habit of discarding policies initiated by their predecessors, even when they were sound and beneficial.
'If there's a change in government, the (previous) plan is shelved. Even when ministers are reshuffled, plans that were previously approved are scrapped and the new team spends money to draw up a new one. This must stop.'
Rafizi said good ideas should be preserved and improved on, regardless of which administration introduced them.
He also took aim at what he described as 'political egoism', where good proposals are rejected simply because they were not conceived by the current leadership.
Rafizi went on to criticise the lack of sincerity in decision-making, pointing out that it was common for leaders to agree to some things at meetings, only to obstruct their implementation later.
Then there is the imbalanced work culture in many organisations, where a handful of individuals shoulder most of the responsibilities while the majority remain passive observers.
'If things go well, 80% will claim credit. If it fails, they blame the 20%.'
Rafizi further criticised the frequent disconnect between long-term national plans and the projects that are later proposed to translate those plans into action.
'The reforms under 13MP are excellent. But when it comes to the annual spending proposals, they often have no relation to the Malaysia Plan or the intended policy shifts.'
He then cautioned against bureaucratic complacency, saying the most common response he hears when proposing new ideas is that 'we've already done this' or 'we already have this'.
'This 'business as usual' mindset — if it is not removed from our government, public sector and private sector — will cause all the policy shifts we want to make to remain stuck in a five-year document.'