The Malaysian Government have a whole range of plans and schemes in place to help promote and accelerate the development of the country and to ensure that the ambition of being a fully-developed nation by 2020 is fully realised. Many of the government’s initiatives fall under the responsibility of the Performance, Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), which was formally established in 2009 and falls under the Prime Minister’s Department. PEMANDU are responsible for implementing the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Program (ETP) among others, and asses the progress of these initiatives.
It is always important, as expats, to have a level of awareness of the government’s plans and understand what changes are being made in the country.
Government Transformation Programme ( GTP )
The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) is an ambitious and broad initiative focused on highlighting and addressing citizens’ concerns while supporting Malaysia’s efforts to be a high-income nation by 2020.
The areas for focus – based on evaluation of the Malaysian people’s demand on the government – are highlighted as National Key Results Areas (NKRAs), and for each of these seven areas, various projects and initiatives are planned or have been implemented to make the necessary progress.
The seven NKRAs are: Reducing Crime; Fighting Corruption; Improving Students Outcomes; Raising Living Standards of Low-Income Households; Improving Rural Basic Infrastructure; Improving Urban Public Transport; Addressing Cost of Living.
Detailed information about the GTP, the NKRAs and the various projects involved can be found on www.pemandu.gov.my
Economic Transformation Programme ( ETP )
The Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) is the government’s comprehensive effort to propel the country forward towards becoming a high-income nation by 2020, and will be achieved by making changes and improvements to selected areas of the country’s economy. The twelve areas chosen for the focus of the ETP are known as National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) and each was chosen for its potential to contribute towards the economic growth of the Malaysian economy.
The twelve NKEAs are based on eleven industries and one geographic area and are as follows: Oil, Gas and Energy; Palm Oil; Financial Services; Tourism; Business Services; Electronics and Electrical; Wholesale and Retail; Education; Healthcare; Communications, Content and Infrastructure; Agriculture; Greater KL.
These twelve NKEAs have a total of 131 Entry Point Projects (EPP), which together work towards making Malaysia a high-income nation by 2020.
Focus will be placed on creating projects in these various areas, although the portfolio of NKEAs will evolve over time, depending on the performance of various sectors of the economy.
Detailed information about the GTP, the NKRAs and the various projects involved can be found on www.pemandu.gov.my
Two of the initiatives set up to align with the transformation plans that are relevant to expats or foreigners looking to move to Malaysia are:
Talent Corporation
Talent Corporation, or TalentCorp, is an initiative within the Prime Minister’s Department that takes on the challenge of improving the talent pool available for the Malaysian jobs market and helping to raise the standards of the work force. This includes attracting foreign talent via various schemes and visa assistance.
Learn more about TalentCorp here.
InvestKL
InvestKL are a team set up to tempt multinational companies to make Greater KL their regional headquarters. They also work to solve any issues that companies may encounter and ‘handhold’ the companies through every stage of the process.
Learn more about InvestKL here.