Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to launch another round of
broad reforms to tackle the issues Malaysians are most worried about these days
- including crime, education and rural development, as he gears up for the next
general election.
Among the initiatives expected at
the end of the month - online tracking for police reports, as the government
responds to recent accusations that the police are massaging crime data to
present a picture of a safer Malaysia.
Najib will also announce new
measures for rural development and fighting corruption.
Some details of the Government
Transformation Programme 2.0 were disclosed by Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Idris Jala in his column in The Star yesterday.
"A lot of hard work has gone
into and is going into the fleshing out of the new programme of
transformation," said Idris, who heads Pemandu, the government agency
overseeing Najib's reform programmes.
Since taking office in April
2009, Najib has presented himself as a reformer. His election slogan -
"Janji Ditepati" or Promises Kept - draws from that image.
The first set of reforms that
were rolled out in 2009 covered seven areas of public services.
These reforms included fighting
corruption, lowering crime, improving education and rural infrastructure, as
well as urban public transport.
This was followed by economic
reforms to double incomes by 2020, and lastly by political reforms to relax the
government's grip on democratic rights.
This second round of reforms will
run from next year to 2015, said Idris.
While they are unlikely to make a
difference before the general election, which must be called by April next
year, they are good campaign fodder, said political analyst Ibrahim Suffian.
"The Prime Minister cannot
just say that he has fulfilled his promises but must also indicate what the
next step would be," said Ibrahim. "And that's what he's doing
now."
Alex Iskandar Liew, the Pemandu
director of communications, said public confidence in the reforms appears to be
strengthening.
He said that an internal survey
by Pemandu three years ago showed that less than one-third of the respondents
believed that the government would deliver on its promises.
But this year, about two-thirds
of people surveyed expressed confidence.
But Ibrahim warned the government
also runs the risk of fatigue setting in as it keeps making more promises.
"People will want to see
real results, to kick the tyres so to speak," he said.
He also noted that Najib is
competing with the opposition, which has promised to lower car prices - among
the highest in the world - and university fees if it wins power.
According to Idris, this second round
of reforms will expand on the first.
For example, a smartphone app
called MyDistress that allows people to contact the police with the push of a
button in an emergency will be expanded beyond its current test base of
Selangor. The phone's GPS locator will help police locate those who need help.
In education, he said, the first
batch of 5,000 teachers found to have substandard English skills will be sent
for remedial courses, beginning next month.
In the area of rural development,
a concept called the "21st century village" will be launched to get
qualified young Malaysians to run rural-based businesses and create more jobs
in the villages.
The first batch of 11
entrepreneurs will begin their projects with government financial assistance
this month. Other initiatives include building integrated modern farms.
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