Recent and Prospective Population Trends in Malaysia

For many years now, the Malaysian government's population policy has included both a growth component and a distribution component. The growth component, adopted in the Second Malaysia Plan (1971–75) and still in force, was the goal of reducing the rate of population growth from 3 per cent to 2 per cent by 1985. The distribution component, first enunciated in a coherent way in the Mid-Term Review of the Second Malaysia Plan, is a strategy for regional development with direct population redistribution consequences. The Third Malaysia Plan (1976–80) elaborated the population situation and goals in greater detail but their broad thrust remained essentially unchanged. The Fourth Plan (1981–85), while maintaining the target of lowered growth rates, emphasized the quality of human resources and was sanguine about the prospects for economic development far outstripping the rate of population growth. Indeed, earlier concern with unemployment had been replaced by worries about the emergence of labour shortages.

Some Comments and Reflections on "Planning Experience in Pakistan"

Dr. Huda has earned our gratitude by elaborating in lucid terms the problems and experiences of planning in Pakistan [1]. As we approach the Fourth Plan we need to have a fresh look at past experiences so as to formulate the future plans in a much more realistic fashion than has hitherto been done. Dr. Huda, in his Address, has raised many issues in this respect. My comments will be limited to the planning technique that has so far been pursued in Pakistan. My concern is basically regarding the changes, that we would like to see, made in the coming plan in this respect. At the technical level, the formulation of a five-year plan has now be¬come synonymous with working out a multisectoral econometric (consistency) model, which provides the basic framework around which the plan is built. However, setting up a macro-model is only a part of the plan formulation. A comprehensive model which purports simply to develop and test the con¬sistency and optimality of an economic strategy is, at best, partially relevent to planning needs [5]. In fact, complete formulation of a five-year plan involves the following six categories of interrelated studies — the strength and realism of a plan depends on how satisfactorily these works are accomplished while a plan is formulated: