Indian community needs lasting reforms, not just handouts, says group

 The Association for Advocacy & Community Empowerment says financial aid must be accompanied by sustained efforts to improve education, job opportunities and household incomes.

Association for Advocacy & Community Empowerment executive director K Gunasegaran said the government’s success should be measured by how many Indians become financially independent, instead of how many receive aid. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

An advocacy group has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to prioritise long-term socioeconomic reforms for the Indian community, saying financial assistance alone will not resolve longstanding challenges.

Association for Advocacy & Community Empowerment executive director K Gunasegaran said the government’s success should be measured by how many Indians become financially independent, rather than how many receive aid.

“The real measure of success should not be how many Indians receive government assistance, but how many no longer need such assistance because their socioeconomic circumstances have improved,” he said in a statement today.

He was responding to Anwar’s recent announcement that more than 630,000 Indians were among the 5.4 million recipients of RM1.1 billion in Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah assistance ahead of Deepavali.

Gunasegaran welcomed the government’s recent allocations to the community, including RM150 million for entrepreneurial financing through the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit, and RM50 million for Tamil schools, but stressed the need for sustained efforts to improve educational outcomes, job opportunities and household incomes.

He called for a Cabinet committee on Indian socioeconomic development, chaired by Anwar, to coordinate initiatives across ministries.

“Without coordination at the highest level of government, programmes risk becoming fragmented, with each ministry implementing its own initiatives without a common set of measurable objectives,” he said.

He also proposed the establishment of an independent statutory agency for Indian socioeconomic transformation to oversee development programmes and track measurable improvements in education, employment, and poverty reduction.

“The community is not seeking perpetual handouts or special treatment at the expense of others.

“What it seeks is a fair opportunity to overcome longstanding socioeconomic disadvantages and to participate meaningfully in the nation’s development and prosperity,” he said.  - FMT