KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — The mid-term review of the 11th Malaysia Plan will be presented to Parliament on October 18, said Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.

While the review is customarily tabled in July, Azmin said the Cabinet has allowed the deferral seeing as the Pakatan Harapan coalition just took over as the new federal government in May.

"Our approach this time is different, as we are not only going to do a thorough research on two years ago, but we will also clarify the direction of the new government based on our manifesto and policies of Pakatan Harapan” he told reporters after the launch of 18th Edition of the Malaysia Economic Monitor.

"The mid-term review will seek to address the disparity of growth across the states and income inequalities, particularly for the B40 income group, high youth unemployment rate and the rising cost of living.

"The government will also address outstanding structural challenges, such as raising labour productivity, ensuring quality investment and innovation, and pushing industries to move up the value chain,” he said.

Azmin said the Malaysia Economic Monitor is timely as it provides relevant information and analysis on the current situation of the digital economy in Malaysia.

The report highlights the potential of the digital economy to ensure Malaysia’s successful transition to a high income and developed economy.

"The adoption of digital technologies across both public and private sectors is essential to enable growth in labour productivity and creating a conducive business environment for quality investments and innovations,” he said.

The Malaysia Economic Monitor expects the local economy to grow by 5.4 per cent in 2018 driven by sound macroeconomic fundamentals such as increases in employment and wages, and expansion in exports.