KUALA LUMPUR: The government has aimed for 120 cities nationwide to achieve sustainable city status by 2025 to enhance the wellbeing of urban dwellers.
According to the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP) report, the government will introduce assessment indicators to set the standard for accreditation, qualification, and recognition of smart cities.
Developers will be urged to adhere to land-use policies, adopt accredited green certification tools, revive green and blue spaces with endemic plant species and facilitate community-based urban farming.
The government, the report said, will also continue promoting affordable housing for urban dwellers under the National Affordable Housing Policy (NAHP).
Besides developing sustainable cities, the government has also aimed to optimise regional economic potential and transform rural areas to bridge the development gap; the report added.
12MP also said that apart from state-driven initiatives, the government will also support private-sector-led projects to implement strategic development programmes.
"This includes the development of new townships such as Setia Fontaines in Penang as well as Seriemas in Ampangan and Rantau sub-districts in Negri Sembilan.
The report added that state policies, namely the Smart Selangor Action Plan 2025, Pelan Induk Terengganu Sejahtera 2030 and Perlis Digital Plan 2021-2025, will also be aligned with the national digital transformation objectives.
The government has also pledged to prioritise development allocation for six less developed states–Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu–by dedicating at least 50 per cent of the Total Basic Development Expenditure to them, it said.
On the regional level, the 12MP said the government will continue to leverage on Asean sub-regional cooperation platforms, such as the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), to boost trade and socioeconomic activities.
"Among the sub-regional initiatives include upgrading the bridge connecting Rantau Panjang in Kelantan to Sungai Golok in Narathiwat and completing more segments of the Pan Borneo Highway Project across Sabah and Sarawak".
In rural areas, the report said the government will increase the provision of rural infrastructures, expand coverage of water and electricity supply as well as enhance waste management and sanitation services under the 12MP.
Idle lands will also be optimised through smart and cluster farming activities to increase economies of scale.
"The government will further intensify the Program Pembangunan Peneroka in FELDA settlements to increase the income of settlers", it added
Under the 12MP, the government has also aimed to rope in more rural youth and women in village administration to build robust rural community leadership.
The 12th Malaysia Plan was tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob in the Dewan Rakyat, today.
The country's five-year (2021-2025) development road map was tabled after the question-and-answer session.
The tabling of the 12MP was postponed at least twice from the original date on Aug 6 last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic and a change in the country's leadership.