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The Ninth Malaysian Plan (Malay: Rancangan Malaysia ke-9), abbreviated as '9MP', is a comprehensive blueprint prepared by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department and the Finance Ministry of Malaysia with approval by the Cabinet of Malaysia. The plan allocates the national budget from 2006 to 2010 in regard to all economic sectors in Malaysia.

The blueprint was announced on 31 March 2006, and was unveiled by the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Parliament.

The economic development plan was unveiled at a time when Malaysia was starting to recover from the Asian financial crisis and challenging economic conditions as a result of high oil prices. The US-led Iraq invasion in 2003 resulted in a rise in oil prices to about US$60/barrel by August 2005, which was a few months before the plan was unveiled.^[1] These two factors were mentioned in Prime Minister's speech when tabling the Ninth Malaysia Plan on 31 March 2008 besides SARS, bird flu, and the 2004 Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami.^[2]

Overview

The plan envisages Malaysia's GDP to grow (in real terms) by 6.0% per annum over the 2006 to 2010 period, and highlights five ways for Malaysia to move forward economically.^[3] These thrusts are:

To move the economy up the value chain
To raise the capacity for knowledge and innovation and to nurture a 'first class mentality'
To address socio-economic inequalities constructively and productively
To improve the standard and sustainability of quality life
To strengthen institutional and implementation capacity

Highlight issues of 9MP

Infrastructure

RM1500 bil savings from privatisation
RM101111 bil for Iskandar Region Development Authority (IRDA)
RM3.58 bil for building and upgrading rural roads
RM29 bil for biotechnology (physical and soft infrastructures)
RM11 bil for upgrading and extension of KKIA, second low cost hub for Malaysia
Additional runway and satellite building for KLIA
Double tracking at selected priority stretches
An upgraded works of Pasir Gudang Highway and the construction of Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link

Health

RM10.28 bil for disease prevention
RM2.3 bil for setting up National Institute of Cancer, National Forensic Institute and National Institute for Oral Health
Eight new hospitals to be built...

Environment

RM510 mil for cleaning, preserving and beautifying rivers
RM4 bil for flood mitigation projects

Agriculture

RM4.4 bil for modernising agriculture farming
RM2.6 bil for support services
RM1.5 bil for agricultural irrigation programmes
Revitalising cocoa industry
RM1 bil for growing more trees

Education

RM 690 mil for teachers' accommodation or housing quarters
RM 143 mil quarters in remote areas of Sabah & Sarawak
Universities for the states of Terengganu and Kelantan
180 primary, 229 secondary and full boarding schools to be built

Culture, arts and heritage

RM11.62 mil less for culture

Mid Term Review

Mid-term review was tabled in Parliament on 26 June 2008. An additional MYR30 billion has been allocated to the plan, making the total allocation MYR230 billion. The extra MYR30 billion spending will be spent on:-

RM 10 billion for corridor initiatives
RM 2 billion for Sabah and Sarawak development
RM 3 billion for food security
RM 3 billion for Strategic Investment Fund
RM 2 billion for double tracking rail projects between Ipoh and Padang Besar and Seremban and Gemas
RM 2 billion for additional rural infrastructure
RM 1.6 billion for public transportation
RM 1 billion for low-cost and medium-cost housing
RM 500 million for high impact education fund.