This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on August 18, 2025 - August 24, 2025
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently launched the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) 2026-2030 with the tagline “Melakar Semula Pembangunan” (Redesigning Development). In his speech, the prime minister outlined three main policy thrusts: first, strengthening good governance to ensure equitable wealth distribution and people-centric administration; second, fostering comprehensive economic diversity to create value across all sectors; and third, focusing on inclusive and responsive development with an emphasis on improving the people’s quality of life.
All of these are designed to be executed with careful attention to the denyut nadi rakyat (the pulse of the people) so that the goals laid out can be achieved over the next five years. But these aspirations will only materialise if stakeholders at every level work together and deliver what has been planned. Too often, plans falter due to leakages or abuse of power by those entrusted to implement them. This is why, to me, the first thrust — ensuring good governance — must be treated as the central pillar in achieving successful development.
To support the Ministry of Economy in this direction, the Universiti Malaya’s International Institute of Public Policy and Management (Inpuma) has launched a nationwide 13MP Townhall Series. This initiative is part of an ongoing research effort to help Malaysians understand their role in the country’s development process. Adopting the approach of “You Speak, We Listen and Record”, the town hall sessions have yielded rich insights from citizens with diverse backgrounds.
The first leg of the tour covered three strategically chosen locations — Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Bandar Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur. Together, these locations offered a composite view of the nation’s current realities, from rural and urban issues to quality of life concerns in both Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia.
In Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu, citizens voiced deep and persistent concerns about basic infrastructure: access to clean water, internet coverage, poor public transport, and uneven healthcare and education facilities. Many felt left behind compared with states in Peninsular Malaysia. A resident in Sandakan stressed that water supply is the most critical issue: “We’ve faced this for over 10 years.” Here, the people are not asking for grand development projects. They just want their basic rights restored: clean water and accessible roads year-round.
It made me wonder: Should such long-standing water issues require federal intervention? What is the role of local leadership in resolving this? Is the issue a result of weak policy, or has there been abuse of power and misaligned priorities?
In Kota Kinabalu, the focus shifted to affordable housing and quality employment. Young graduates expressed frustration at the lack of economic opportunities, which has driven many to migrate to Peninsular Malaysia or abroad. Concerns were also raised about unplanned urban development, pollution, traffic congestion and misaligned growth. Many of these issues, brought up during the town hall sessions, directly echo the themes that the prime minister outlined on July 31.
In contrast, residents in Bandar Tun Razak centred their concerns on the rising cost of living, quality of public services and work-life balance. Parents worried about education quality, overcrowded schools and the lack of recreational activities for youth in public housing areas. Retirees spoke of the burden of healthcare costs, despite being former civil servants. Post-pandemic challenges also emerged, including elderly care, mental health support and calls for more efficient digital government services.
Despite differing geographies, cultures and lifestyles, all three communities shared a unifying aspiration: they want policies that truly reflect and serve them. The overwhelming sentiment is that people want to be heard, not just during policy planning, but in implementation and outcome monitoring as well. Hence, I am glad the prime minister gave emphasis in his speech to the monitoring of development projects.
There is a deep sense of disappointment when long-standing promises — particularly around water, roads and housing — go unfulfilled. Yet, hope remains. As one Kota Kinabalu resident told me privately, “We want to believe in the government again. Show us that through 13MP.”
13MP is an opportunity for a national reset, not just in terms of physical development, but in reshaping our socioeconomic policies to match the people’s living realities. This plan must adopt a people-centric approach that leverages local data, expands inclusive monitoring systems and places trust in communities to lead local development initiatives.
I was recently invited to deliver the keynote address at a roundtable hosted by the Institute of Social Malaysia (ISM) to chart its strategic direction. I began by painting a picture of Malaysia in 2050. To plan effectively for the future, we must anticipate the challenges ahead. This is why foresight and scenario planning are essential, along with leveraging local data and inclusive monitoring systems. I proposed that ISM take on the role of a national social research institute.
This ties directly to the findings of our 13MP research, which underline the need for consistent public discourse in our policy ecosystem. They also underscore the importance of a dedicated institution that continuously studies, analyses and monitors sociopolitical changes grounded in public sentiment.
One recurring observation from our town hall sessions was the lack of community-based development planning, particularly in public housing areas. In rural areas, school facilities are often inadequate, while in urban zones, schools may lack basic amenities like fields for physical education.
Taken together, these findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen people-centric approaches in national development planning and policy implementation. The town hall sessions have clearly captured both the aspirations and constraints of everyday Malaysians — factors that must directly shape future five-year plans.
The message from the ground is unequivocal: Malaysians are ready to take part in nation-building, provided they are not sidelined. 13MP, as presented by the prime minister on July 31, is a plan that seeks to provide human-centric development, rebuild public trust and return Malaysia to a path of inclusive and equitable progress.
To truly redesign national development, we must listen to and reflect the pulse of the people. May 13MP lead Malaysia towards greater prosperity and lasting success.
Datuk Dr Anis Yusal Yusoff is executive director of the International Institute of Public Policy and Management (Inpuma), Universiti Malaya. He is a former president and CEO of the Malaysian Institute of Integrity.
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