MALAYSIA TO EMPHASISE HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN NEXT PLAN

MALAYSIA TO EMPHASISE HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT IN NEXT PLAN

From Yong Soo HeongFRANKFURT, May 18 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) will give emphasis to the development of human resource and human capital so that there will be quality manpower when the country attains developed nation status by 2020.
He described the 9MP as the first of three five-year development plans in the "second half of a 30-year period" before 2020.As such, it was important to concentrate on the development of human capital as the country wanted to move up the value chain, he said in response to a question on what the 9MP was likely to emphasise during a question and answer session at the Malaysian-Germany Business Forum here Tuesday.To a question whether he was giving less emphasis to information and communication technology (ICT) as he had been speaking a lot on biotechnology of late, he said this was not the case.To prove his point, he said, for instance, the second phase of the Multimedia Super Corridor would be rolled out to cover more areas like Penang and Kulim in Kedah later this year.Abdullah said he also believed there would be convergence between biotechnology and ICT and that Malaysia was giving strong equal emphasis to these two areas.Asked on the competitive effects from the growing economies of China and India, he said Malaysia believed it would not be disadvantaged by them and would instead seek to collaborate with them through various free trade agreements now being negotiated.-- BERNAMA