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PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad says that changes in his plans and policies led to Malaysia being unable to meet its Vision 2020 targets.
In a pre-recorded interview before the fall of the administration led by Pakatan Harapan, Mahathir said that in his first term as prime minister, the government had already decided the direction of the country and the actions necessary to achieve its goals.
“When I resigned, the focus on development was different, so were the policies. When it changed, we couldn’t reach our goals.
“The policies introduced after I resigned were very different from the ones I decided and planned to achieve our goals,” he said in the interview that aired today on Mahathir’s Facebook page.
Despite these changes, Mahathir said the country still achieved a lot, although it was not at the level where Malaysia could be considered a developed nation.
The 2020 Vision, an ideal that covers various aspects of life, was first articulated by Mahathir in 1991. He envisioned Malaysia becoming an industrialized and self-sufficient nation by 2020.
Earlier, Mahathir had said that Vision 2020 could not be realized due to the alleged abuse of power by the administration led by Najib Razak.
Today, he said that if Najib had performed well in developing the nation and looking out for the well-being of the people, PH would not have been able to win the 14th general election.
“What toppled the government was the discontent of the people with the administration.
“I was just a tool to focus the energy (of the people) so that they had another option. What brought down the government were its (own) mistakes. “
On the development of the nation, Mahathir said that the government could provide opportunities to the people, but that it was their responsibility to seize them and make the most of them.
