IN Malaysia
Rancangan Malaysia Ke-13
It is RMK time of the decade again, as we will do a 13th Malaysia Plan special today. Announced by PM Anwar Ibrahim at the Parliament yesterday, Malaysia is still fully focused on its aim to attain that high-income nation status by putting an annual Gross National Income (GNI) target of RM77,000 per capita and an average household income goal of RM12,000 per month by 2030. However, Putrajaya is quite humble in its economic growth projection, as the country expected a slower economic growth of 4.5% – 5.5% over the next five years (marginally lower than RMK12’s 5% – 6% economic growth target), thanks to Trump-induced turbulence. PM Anwar also avoids the narrative of announcing big, shiny, sexy initiatives for RMK13, but instead focuses on improvement to affordable housing, healthcare and good jobs for its people.
https://x.com/bernamadotcom/status/1950873708547195193
Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/13th-malaysia-plan-economic-growth-cost-living-anwar-5269931
Retirement age to increase
Within RMK 13, Putrajaya also succumbs to the fact that the country is ageing and letting the oldies call it a day at 60 years old will not cut it (apalah nasib kita memang kene kerja sampai mati). Putrajaya intends to review the mandatory retirement age as part of its efforts to prepare for the country’s transition into an ageing nation. RMK13 will prioritise the development of a more efficient and sustainable long-term care (LTC) service ecosystem, and a dedicated regulatory body will be established to comprehensively oversee the care ecosystem (great, another government agency). Malaysia has officially been recognised as an ageing nation since 2021 and is projected to become an aged nation as early as 2043. An ageing society is defined as having a minimum of 7% of its population aged 65 and older, while an aged nation has 14% or more in that age group.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/764746
Malaysia to go nuclear by 2031
PM Anwar has finally included nuclear energy as one of the cards in its Power Generation Monopoly, as the government has listed MyPower Corp as the governing body for the nuclear energy development program. MyPower Corp is a special-purpose agency that coordinates national electricity supply reforms under the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation. Malaysia needs nuclear power to achieve its 70% renewable energy generation mix by 2050, as per the National Energy Transition Roadmap. At the moment, the country generates around 19.2% of its electricity from renewable sources.
Source: https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/764741
One happy chap after RMK13 was announced yesterday was surely former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, who stated that almost all of his work for RMK13 was retained in the final document. He added that several economic engineering plans that were initiated previously, and those that have been developed but not yet announced, such as the Special Tourism Investment Zone (STIZ), were retained as well. The STIZs will be developed in Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak, where new tourism products that are based on artistic, cultural and heritage assets will be developed. This country needs a moonshot idea for tourism in order to compete with other countries. Rollercoaster in Gua Niah, anyone? I only charge a minimal retainer fee for consultation.
Source: https://m.malaysiakini.com/news/750758
One key aspect of the success of RMK13 is free trade flow, where good news, Tengku Zafrul finally bring it home. US President Donald Trump announced that the tariff on Malaysia has been slashed from 25% to 19%, in line with peers in the region. PM Anwar also said that Trump will attend the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia from October 26 to 28.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2025/08/01/us-cuts-malaysia-tariff-to-19-from-25
Business news
- RTS2 in the pipeline? – During Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s visit to Singapore, he mooted the idea of constructing a second Rapid Transit System (RTS2) link connecting Iskandar Puteri in Johor and Tuas in Singapore to further strengthen cross-border mobility. The current RTS Link, soon to connect Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore, will be operational in 2027 and cost about RM3.16 bil to build.
- Firefly to no longer operate from Subang – Ah, this will be missed as FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd, the low-cost arm of Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG), will no longer call Subang Airport its home, but just for its jet operations, as it will relocate to Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA T1). Firefly’s turboprop services will continue operating as usual from Subang Airport, serving routes to Penang, Seletar (Singapore), Kota Bharu, and Johor Bahru.
- Sarawak to build another dam – While Johor is working closely with Singapore, Sarawak is cooperating with Indonesia to jointly develop hydropower projects along the Kayan River in Indonesia’s North Kalimantan province. Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg said that the collaboration was formalised during his official working visit to Jakarta on Tuesday. Kedah bila nak go all-out with Thailand? Kita takleh kalah dengan our other states. Siblings’ rivalry on!
For your EYES only
What if the land size of the states in Malaysia were resized based on each state’s share of the national GDP?
A cool map of Malaysia resized by each state’s share of national GDP
Source: World Bank staff calculations, based on DOSM 2024 data (2015 prices) pic.twitter.com/KatOiWkib9
— Apurva Sanghi (@ApurvaSanghi) August 1, 2025
