2020 has a nice ring to it. Like the Roaring Twenties, which refers to the decade of the 1920s in Western society and culture. A period of economic prosperity “with a distinctive cultural edge” experienced in the United States and Europe.
Likewise, 2020 is the beginning of the third decade in the 21st century. It’s also the year Malaysia was expected to be a developed nation. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated otherwise. But despair not, the timeline has been brought forward to 2030, a shared prosperity vision for the country as espoused by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
What do Malaysians want from this decade? Much has happened in the last decade, not only in Malaysia, but all over the globe. From the ongoing United States-China trade war, rising Islamophobia and Brexit, to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, global warming and climate change — some naysayers have described the period 2010-2019 as frantic.
This Leader, however, shall not dwell on what has happened; over the last few weeks, this newspaper has carried numerous articles under the 2019 Recap/2020 Preview. The new year must be looked upon as a year of new beginnings — the start of the digital and smart era — “a new chapter in human history”.
Globally, economic and political changes will continue in 2020; those in the corporate sector have foretold that success and motivation will become the story of society. There will be changes in order, power and structure.
For Malaysia, it is the start of a renewed vision for a developed nation by 2030. Work must start now in order for the vision to materialise. The government must set the stage and implement policies that will propel us forward. From creating new jobs to boosting productivity, 2020 will be the game changer.
It is enlightening to know that the government is committed in ensuring good governance, the rule of law, with a firm belief in personal freedom and responsibility — all these augur well for us. But what will happen in the first few months of the year will be crucial — they will define Malaysia’s path to the future. We must be ready to face the challenges in top form.
Having said that, this new year calls for Malaysians to work at being an optimist. There has been a lot of negative vibes in 2019, no more. Negativity spreads like wildfire, it will consume us if we are not careful. Stop the rumour mongering and brickbats, deal in facts and figures. Don’t compare ourselves negatively with other countries — we are Malaysians and we should continually try to better ourselves. Don’t look back and groan, instead focus on the good, accept our failures and learn from them.
The Internet has certainly changed our landscape; more changes are expected over the next few years. In an increasingly networked global economy, everyone seems to have an opinion on everything, but let that not influence us.
“The people who unite without prejudice in celebrating the diversity of races and cultures are fundamental to the unity of the country,” said Dr Mahathir. And so it is — let 2020 be the year where we grow and unite as one people.
A happy and prosperous 2020 to all.