Najib: Subra says I done more than 'ex-PM with Indian heritage'

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today claimed he has been praised for doing more for Tamil language education than a former prime minister "with Indian heritage".

While he does not mention names, this is believed to be a jab at his chief critic and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who could trace his ancestors to Kerala, India.

"In the budget each year, we give allocations for Chinese schools, Tamil schools, Islamic religious schools and even sekolah pondok (community-run religious schools).

"It is to the extent that (MIC president) S Subramaniam just now mentioned that almost RM900 million has been allocated for Tamil vernacular schools since I became prime minister.

"And he mentioned that I have done more than any of the prime ministers before me, including one who has Indian heritage," he said in his speech at an event in Putrajaya to celebrate 200 years of Tamil education in the country.

He also said that developing the Indian community has been an administrative agenda since he took over in 2009.

This includes launching the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) this year to unify the community and include them in the national agenda, the news portal reported.

Ethnic Indians make up about eight percent of the Malaysian population and is disproportionately represented in poverty and crime rates.

A recent Khazanah Research Institute study found that there was little evidence of upward socio-economic mobility among ethnic Indians, compared to other races.

Only five percent of ethnic Indians born to parents without formal education achieve tertiary education, lagging far behind the bumiputera (33 percent) and ethnic Chinese (44 percent).- Mkini