ENTHUSIASM abounds among youth when Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin asked them what they aspired and hoped for come 2050, at a TN50 roadshow recently. It was evident that the youth, mostly university students, were brimming with ideas.
A brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Transformasi Negara 2050, or TN50, will be the new game plan for the country post-2020 to chart the nation’s direction in economy, social and environment.
The best part about TN50 is that some 600,000 youths will give input for policies to be drawn up for TN50. They will share their dreams and aspirations, and the government will take note of their recommendations and turn them into feasible ventures.
Interestingly, the person who is as excited as the youth is Khairy, who has toured the nation to get their feedback.
Together with Mohamad, Khairy listened eagerly and compiled the proposals at the TN50 forum at Port Dickson Polytechnic, and there were a lot of ideas.
Topping the list, and not surprisingly, are job security, quality of life, unity among races, security, reducing crime and better education opportunities.
Mohamad proposed that Negri Sembilan become a “food factory” to meet the demand of the expected 10 million-strong population by 2050 in the burgeoning Greater Klang Valley.
He said this was important as Negri Sembilan would roll out its economic zone called Malaysia Vision Valley, which would span Port Dickson, Seremban and Nilai.
Khairy said this was a pertinent point as Malaysia had a food deficit of RM18 billion, which did not make sense as the country could produce food and rely less on imports.
Mohamad said 40 per cent of a person’s income was spent on transport, and it was hoped that with an efficient transport system in Malaysia Vision Valley, Malaysians could save on transport expenses.
A student from Islamic Science International University proposed that Malaysia focus on the agriculture sector rather than try to emulate technologically-advanced countries, which could be a daunting task.
“Rather than follow Samsung, Apple or Toyota, why can’t Malaysia become the world’s No. 1 food producer, like Nestle?
“After all, we are blessed with natural resources, and we have world-class companies, such as Felda and Sime Darby, which are one of the world’s top palm oil producers.
“Malaysia should build on that rather than produce products that are not within our expertise.”
Steve Yap, from Bukit Gadut, said as part of the country’s endeavour to become a developed and knowledgeable nation, high-speed broadband connectivity should be free nationwide or at a nominal cost rather than become commodities for big telecommunications companies.
“Japan and South Korea can offer almost free Internet nationwide. This is something that Malaysia should offer, too.”
Another student hoped that education from primary to university levels could be free like in Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), and for there to be no segregation among students in terms of examination results.
“This segregation is demoralising and will hinder nation-building efforts. The smart students should assist other students,” Yap said to loud applause.
Some youth want the country to focus on the basics, such as ensuring water security as many face water disruptions during droughts.
“There is no use trying to become a developed nation by 2050 if water supply is erratic.”
Some students want the country to become more innovative and meet technology giants head on as Malaysian youth are as technologically savvy and innovative as those in other countries and able to produce their own products.
There were also those who want Malaysia to excel in sports, especially football, so that it could qualify for the World Cup finals in 20 years and produce the country’s own Cristiano Ronaldo, who could be an icon to unite the people.
A worry among youth is the rising price of homes in the state. Mohamad assured them that by 2050, half of the houses built in Negri Sembilan would be affordable, with prices ranging between RM80,000 and RM250,000.
He said the state government would ensure that local councils built more affordable houses.
This way, the councils could rent out the houses for as low as RM150 a month, which will enable families to save money and spend on other essentials.
“The state will listen to all the feedback from the youth and use it to formulate the TN50 game plan for the betterment of the state and country,” Mohamad told some 1,000 university students at the forum.
The writer, a former assistant news editor at ‘Business Times’, is NST’s Negri Sembilan bureau chief