AFRICAN NATIONS WANT TO EMULATE M'SIA'S SOUND AND WORKABLE POLICIES

By M. Saraswathi

PUTRAJAYA, June 20 (Bernama) –- Impressed with Malaysia's development
policies such as the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and Economic
Transformation Programme (ETP), African nations are keen to send their officers
to learn more about how they can be implemented efficiently.

They were impressed as to the relevance and effectiveness of the
implementation of these plans by the Performance Management and Delivery Unit
(PEMANDU), said Dr Omar Abdul Rahman, former Science Advisor to the
Prime Minister.

“They are appreciative of what we are doing and are keen to know the details
on how they were planned and implemented,” he said..

Realising the relevance of the policies to their own countries, they want to
send their officers to learn from PEMANDU, he told Bernama after attending a
briefing by Pemandu at the Prime Minister’s Department Monday.

Omar said African nations' leaders here for the Ninth
International Langkawi Dialogue (LID) were given indepth briefing on the
1Malaysia concept: People First and Performance Now principles, GTP, ETP and New
Economic Model.

The briefing was basically on how the government plans to lift the country
to become a high-income economy from a middle-income economy now through GTP and
ETP, said Dr Omar.

The two-hour briefing was given by Minister in the Prime Minister's
Department Idris Jala, who is also chief executive officer of
PEMANDU. Also present was Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Among the African leaders who attended the closed-door briefing were
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili of
Lesotho, Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso and Kenyan Vice-President
Stephen Kalonzo.

Established in 2009, PEMANDU’s main role and objective are to oversee the
implementation, assess the progress, facilitate and support the delivery system
and drive forward the GTP and ETP.

PEMANDU has also been mandated to initiate bold changes in public and
private sectors' delivery, support the ministries in the delivery and planning
process and provide an independent view of performance and progress to the Prime
Minister and ministers.

PEMANDU has also been tasked with facilitating implementation of the
Entry Point Projects (EPPs) and business opportunities that have been identified
to ensure that Malaysia is transformed into a high-income nation by 2020.