Rafizi questions Cabinet's ‘reactionary' move to restructure 13th Malaysia Plan, says rushed changes undermine civil servants' work

Yahoo

8 hours ago

PUTRAJAYA, June 27 – Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has expressed concern over the government's move to revise and restructure the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), warning that the last-minute decision could undermine public confidence in the national policy document.
Responding to a statement by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Rafizi said he was worried that this is a knee-jerk reaction towards public brickbats towards Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
'I worry that the government is being reactionary, merely in response to a few recent social media replies directed at Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil regarding 13MP.
'Some netizens discussed 13MP and replied to his comments, which appeared to downplay or erase my involvement in the preparation of the document,' he said in a statement here.
Rafizi warned that the announcement to 'revise and restructure' 13MP has raised concern among civil servants, market analysts monitoring national policy, and the public at large.
The Pandan MP noted that the 13MP was developed solely by civil servants, without the involvement of external consultants, in under a year – making it the fastest-prepared Malaysia Plan to date.
With only two weeks remaining before the final draft is sent for printing, Rafizi questioned if the restructuring would be rushed and whether it would bypass the consultative process with stakeholders and experts.
He also warned that politicising the 13MP would do a disservice to the thousands of civil servants who worked on it and could erode public trust in the final document.
'If that happens, it would be a grave injustice to those who have worked tirelessly — often for over 12 hours a day — over the past year,' he said.
He stressed that the Malaysia Plan serves as a binding framework for national policies and programmes over five years, typically developed through a non-political and rigorous process.
Rafizi explained that 13MP's preparation had involved a bottom-up approach through the Inter Agency Planning Group, Technical Working Groups, and engagement sessions with state governments, industry players, and MPs between September and December 2024.
Simultaneously, a top-down approach was conducted by the Ministry of Economy and policy experts to develop structural reform proposals, which were deliberated with the Prime Minister and a Special Cabinet Committee from February to April this year.
Earlier, Chief Secretary to the Government and Cabinet Secretary Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan has been tasked with carrying out the duties and functions of the Economy Minister with immediate effect — beginning with revising the 13MP for the July Parliamentary session.
On May 28, Rafizi had announced his resignation from the post of economy minister, following a defeat for the deputy president post in the recent PKR party elections.