given to social indicators when they were requested by planners as opposed to when they were thrust upon them. B. MALAYSIA 41: Malaysia was in the fortunate position of having a Government that was increasingly concerned with the social aspects of development. The problems of promoting national unity, eradicating poverty and restructuring society, which were the priority concerns of that nation, required more than mere economic progress to resolve. 42. The points were made that social indicators were very important for developing countries with a dynamic political life; the Government's commitment could only be gained by providing early proof of the social indicators' role in the established evaluation system; such indicators could contribute to the planning process and could highlight the major issue of development which could be acted upon as a matter of urgency. As long as experts on social indicators could not convince a Government, and especially the development planners, on those matters, social indi­ cators would continue to be treated as something useful but of no immediate practical value in development planning. 43. The social indicators project in Malaysia was aimed at paving the way for setting up a more comprehensive socio-economic evaluation system which would evaluate the actual benefits in human and social terms and the distribution thereof, and ensure social justice in the process of development. The input-output-benefit-distribution model of development was a computer-based work in progress intended to show the resources utilized and the benefits to beneficiaries in various localities. 11 44. There was an inclusion of perception indicators here. Those were problematical for experts with rigorous statistical standards. How­ ever, indicators should guide policy-makers by answering the "whys" of development. The top people in the Government should be involved early enough in the development of indicators relevant to their respective departments to elicit their commitment through discussions, thereby 
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of social indicators in development planning, particularly in Malaysia, where the government was concerned with promoting national unity, eradicating poverty, and restructuring society. The text highlights the need for social indicators to be integrated into the planning process to ensure that development is evaluated in a comprehensive and equitable manner. This suggests that the category should be related to development and social issues rather than purely economic or environmental concerns.

**Category**
Economic development, Education