Vision 2020: A Mission Impossible

I was just thinking today, how many Malaysian Steemians have been hearing about the whole Vision 2020 since elementary school, in hopes of Malaysia will grow to become a developed country by year 2020?

Well, I have! It was 1998 when I first heard about it and I was only eight. 2020 was 22 years from then, and it sure seemed like three lifetimes away for me. Besides, I was just a little kampung girl, I couldn't care less.

Funny thing about this whole Vision 2020 is that, it was talked about so much on TV because it was the Commanwealth Games in 1998, sometimes mentioned in school but never actually educated to the nation. All I've ever known about it is in 2020, Malaysia will be super "canggih", super "maju" (both means "advanced"). Let's have a moment of silence for my ignorance, shall we?

So I decided to Google what "Vision 2020" is all about. It was introduced by former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad. And I discovered one thing I never knew for sure that there are actually NINE challenges in it. I felt almost bad after reading the challenges. We are two years from 2020 and we are nowhere close in achieving these challenges. What's worse? Our country is an international joke. We are definitely not a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.

I can't help but letting out a deeeeeep sigh after reading all nine challenges. Definitely not proud of it. Seasons are changing, other nations are growing, but our "empire" is falling. What can I say? I am not looking forward to the this year's election at all.

The third challenge, however, got my attention. It says the challenge that our country have always faced is that of fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practising a form of mature consensual, community-oriented Malaysian democracy that can be a model for many developing countries. Tell me how to have a consensual democracy???? Our Prime Minister is despised nationally and internationally. He's probably next in line with Trump with less fame.

Honestly, I don't talk or care about politics because they are all manipulated and they are 🐃💩. But I'm in a foul mood, and reading it just made it worse. We were taught "freedom of speech" so let's see if I'll be assassinated in the next couple of days after I hit the post button.

Malaysians, we could be so beautiful in so many ways. Gotta learn to choose the right thing.

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