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Malaysia's vision on sustainable development

The emphasis on sustainable development can be seen in the country's medium term and long term development plan. For example, sustainable development is one of 14 areas of focus in the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996-2000). One chapter is devoted to environment and sustainable resource management, outlining the steps that the government will take to ensure sustained and balanced development. Vision 2020 also puts emphasis on ecologically sustainable economic development, requiring that Malaysia 'must also ensure that our valuable natural resources are not wasted. Our land must remain productive and fertile, our atmosphere clear and clean, our water unpolluted, our forest resources capable of regeneration, able to yield the needs of our national development. The beauty of the land must not be desecrated for its own sake and for our economic advancement'.

A major weakness is, however, in the lack of coordination between policy making at federal level and implementation at the state level. Each state is given authority for decision making on natural resource allocation and land use and thus the policy at national level is not necessarily implemented at the state level.

(Reference: Institutional arrangements and mechanisms at local level in Malaysia)