EDITOR'S PICK
In less than a week, we will welcome the arrival of a new year - 2025.
Customarily, during this time of the year, many of us will start to look back on the events that have happened throughout the year.
Memories which are bittersweet, sour, salty, spicy and even fatty - they are all there!
Not to mention, those of us who take this time to evaluate personal achievements, including this year’s resolution.
Time to cultivate a new year's resolution - which is always a healthy practice, but only if a target has been set and accompanied by firm commitment.
If not, it is better to cultivate vegetables - at least you are able to yield some produce.
So for 2025, what is your resolution?
Want to complete an unfulfilled resolution? Want to be tobacco free? To rein in the sugar ? To increase productivity?
Or to reduce debt commitments?
Good good good, everything is good, especially the last one.
Do not instead have the resolution to increase your debt.
For those who still have parents, maybe you can add to the resolution list - I am determined to be a more devoted child, or at least more obedient, and make it a daily routine to say a supplication for mom and dad.
As for those who have become mothers and fathers, let’s resolve to understand your children better.
Educate children, appropriate to their age and level of maturity.
The time in which they grow up is not the same as our time.
Children are now more exposed to a variety of ways to ensnare them.
It is our job to protect them and give them an understanding and awareness of danger.
Get angry if you need to but only to educate - not to be hostile.
Throughout this year, there have been cases being reported on crimes committed by children against their parents and crimes by elderly against grandchildren.
The reasons are aplenty.
Such unsavoury news leaves us with a feeling of anxiety, sadness and resentment.
For now, let's leave the micro-level resolution and move on to the macro-scale resolution: Malaysia's big ambition to become a fully developed country.
If the gold medal in football tournaments is often held up as the mother of all medals in sporting events such as the Olympics, SEA Games and SUKMA, this particular resolution deserves to be appointed as the mother of all resolutions for our country.
The older generation must still remember when the ambition to achieve the status of a developed nation was hotly discussed as early as 1991, during the times of the Sixth Malaysia Plan (6MP).
At that time, the target set was by the year 2020, under 11MP.
Official projections later showed the target could potentially be reached in 2012, under 10MP.
Everyone was happy and hyped up.
However, the target had to be revised to 2026.
As we already know, even this target could not be achieved, as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 had affected all activities.
So the target was moved once again to 13MP without specifically setting a year.
Following a World Bank report, the country's economic growth forecast increased to 4.9 percent for 2024, compared to the initial forecast of 4.3 percent.
Malaysia is seen to be on the right track to achieving the goal of becoming a high-income developed country.
Many parties are optimistic again.
As they should be, with this 14 percent increase.
According to the Economy Minister, based on current projections, the goal can be achieved as early as 2027.
But a more practical target is 2028.
If it's a little late, 2029.
Next year is the final year of the 12MP implementation.
Although there is about a year left to complete 12MP, intensive 13MP engagement sessions have been held here and there.
Its draft is expected to be fully completed in May, before being presented for the Parliamentary session in July; that is, after being finalised by the government.
According to the Economy Minister, 13MP will be drafted similar to the First Malaysia Plan, but it will be more concise and comprehensive.
Like painting a blank canvas, the priority now is to roll out reforms according to the size of the government's pockets.
The MADANI government, he said, prefers to implement small-scale reforms, by collecting as many ideas and creative inputs as possible based on people's feedback.
Any concerns can be voiced out so that the government can address them using the right approach.
The government’s know-it-all approach is no longer applicable.
Let us contribute in our own way, by ensuring that the great national resolution can finally be realised.
Not for other people.
But for us Malaysians alone.
Don't be afraid of change.
A wise man once said: those who reject change will forever be in the same position.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Life is like riding a bicycle.
We have to keep moving, in order to maintain the balance.