PETALING JAYA: The unity government has been urged to expedite conducting a forensic audit on the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) funds and promptly disclose its findings to provide clarity on the allegations of misappropriation and abuse of power.
Bersatu associate wing’s information chief R Sri Sanjeevan said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must honour an earlier commitment he made during his tenure as the opposition leader.
In September 2022, Anwar promised that if Pakatan Harapan (PH) returned to power, they would conduct a forensic audit on three Indian-related bodies: investment company Maika Holdings, Maju Institute of Educational Development (MIED) and Mitra.
“If a forensic audit is not conducted, problems within Mitra, including alleged corruption, will persist indefinitely, and the findings of the forensic audit must be made public,” Sanjeevan told FMT.
Up until now, Mitra has only undergone an audit by the national audit department under the previous administration.
Sanjeevan proposed that Mitra’s annual fund of RM100 million should be allocated to specific programmes to ensure tangible and measurable results.
For instance, he said funds should be allocated to education this year and then entrepreneurship in the following year.
“If the RM100 million is dispersed across various programmes, the impact may not be evident because it is a small amount. So, it’s better to narrow down the scope of programmes, then the results will be more visible.”
Sanjeevan also recommended directing a large portion of Mitra’s funds towards education to uplift the Indian community, especially those from B40 households.
“If there is a lack of financial support, how can these students pursue the higher education needed to change the future of their families?” he asked.
“Without adequate educational opportunities, they may become susceptible to gang activities and the like. As a result, social problems will persist.” - FMT
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