Mitra not 'catch-all' body, MP tells govt agencies

 

PARLIAMENT | A Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) official has criticised government agencies for treating the unit as a “catch-all” agency, claiming it is being unfairly burdened with responsibilities beyond its mandate.

Mitra special task force committee chairperson P Prabakaran cited repeated instances where individuals and organisations are referred to Mitra for matters outside its jurisdiction, including tax exemption issues and sports development.

“When it’s about sports, (government agencies) will tell people to go to Mitra. For welfare matters - Mitra. Entrepreneurship - Mitra,” Prabakaran (Harapan-Batu) said while debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in Parliament today.

“For every government initiative, they point their finger at Mitra, as if Mitra can help with everything. If you give Mitra RM5 billion, sure, I’ll solve all the problems of the Indian community - but that’s not the reality.”

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Stressing that the government is meant to serve everyone while Mitra plays its role in aiding transformations within the Indian community, the PKR lawmaker said it is “difficult” if every agency keeps on pointing people to Mitra.

He also claimed that leadership continuity issues are the root cause behind the perception that Mitra, which was previously called the Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community Unit (Sedic) before a rebranding in 2018, has failed to deliver significant impacts.

“When I took the helm at Mitra, I made sure that even if I’m no longer there tomorrow, Mitra’s direction must remain aligned with government policies - not based on the personal whims of whoever happens to lead Mitra.

“It shouldn’t be a case of one leader running certain programmes, and when there’s a leadership change, the programmes get scrapped and replaced. That way, there will never be a real transformation,” he added.

Awaiting further details

Commenting on the Prime Minister’s Office’s (PMO) announcement of 16 programmes approved for the benefit of the Indian community, Prabakaran said Mitra is still waiting on further details and directions from the PMO.

“We’re waiting for further direction from the PMO on how to implement those programmes and what exactly they entail. In earlier phases, Mitra submitted (for the PMO’s consideration) 45 programmes, so thank you to the prime minister for approving 16 of them.

“We’re still waiting. I really hope things can be sped up (as) I myself am getting a bit impatient to see what the next directions from the prime minister will be,” he said.

Previously, internal sources within Mitra told Malaysiakini that the unit was not briefed before the PMO’s announcement, leaving the unit’s officers in the dark over what the 16 programmes are, when they were approved, and how much funding has been allocated.

Another Mitra insider echoed concerns over the “surprise announcement”, warning that it risks undermining public confidence in the agency’s credibility and role, especially since it had supported 45 programmes with an estimated RM40 million in funding. - Mkini