An organisation claiming to represent 120 Indian Malaysian NGOs called for the government to implement ministry-level strategies to empower and uplift the community.
The strategies must be long-term, spanning at least 10 to 15 years, and involve a large budget of at least RM10 to 15 billion, said the Malaysian Tamil Awakening and Consciousness Association during a press conference this afternoon.
“If it (the Indian Malaysian community) is neglected further, most likely it will have ramifications on the current government and society at large,” said association deputy chairperson Masilamani Ramasamy.
The press conference was held at the KR Soma Auditorium in the National Land Finance Co-Op Society Limited building in Kuala Lumpur.
Masilamani said a 10-point plan was given to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim six months ago but the association did not receive a response.
It then met with Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and shared the plan with him too.
The 10 steps recommend the formation of a prime ministerial council, which would comprise the prime minister, at least one deputy prime minister, senior government officials, along with representatives from Indian Malaysian NGOs.
A ministry is also needed to ensure that ethnic Indians, who are spread out in eight of the country’s states, are given sufficient aid, said Masilamani.
This could be through the formation of a new ministry or under the purview of an existing one, he added.
Annual caucus
Masilamani also urged the creation of an annual caucus for Indian Malaysians for progress updates.
The government was already carrying out such events for the other communities, he pointed out.
“All these people (in the proposed council), whatever they are doing may be very successful, but it must be common knowledge for the public or Indians at least,” he said.
He went on to express concern about the government’s implementation of strategies, especially when there is a change in government, which would lead to policies that are already in place being dropped.
“We want continuity. We want at least 15 years of transformation,” he said.
He added that Indian Malaysians are disappointed with the government of the day, seeing that it had secured over 83 percent of the community’s votes.
But Indians have yet to see any reciprocation for their votes, he said.
‘Mitra a small matter’
As for the issue of the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), Masilamani called it a small matter.
“I would like to put it to you very clearly. Mitra, in this perspective, is a small issue,” he said.
“We are talking about a long-term plan, a big budget, and a big machinery to implement (the strategies).
“We are not talking (about) small (matters),” he added.
Masilamani explained that the community wishes to focus on larger systemic issues.
The association’s work on the 10-step plan had begun after the change of government following the 15th general election, which was long before the Mitra issue began, he said.
Yesterday, Mitra was returned to the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD).
Originally known as the Socio-Economic Development of Indian Community (Sedic), it was created in 2014 as a unit under the PMD during Najib Abdul Razak’s time in power.
After Pakatan Harapan formed the government in 2018, Sedic was renamed Mitra and transferred to the National Unity Ministry - where it remained until September 2022 before it was transferred back to the PMD by then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The Anwar Ibrahim administration kept Mitra under the PMD during its first year in power.
However, in December last year, it was announced that Mitra would again be parked under the National Unity Ministry.
Earlier, its minister Aaron admitted to a disconnection from the agency, saying he did not have any stakes related to it before it was parked under his ministry.
Govt can’t see community’s needs clearly
Meanwhile, Masilamani said the association wishes to work with the government to improve the lot of Indian Malaysians.
He said it can play its part by spending the year between the proposed annual caucuses by going to the ground to meet with ethnic Indians to brief them on the government’s progress, concerns, and interests in their welfare.
“This group is big and there are many intellectuals in it.
“We would like to participate with the government to make things happen,” he said.
However, the government is unable to meet the needs of Indian Malaysians as it cannot clearly see the issues faced by the community, hence resulting in piecemeal solutions, he stressed.
There is currently no minister who is a Tamil-speaking Indian, he lamented.
Masilamani explained that a Tamil-speaking minister would be able to understand the community’s needs better.
However, he cautioned against perceptions that the government is not concerned about the community.
It is a matter of policies, planning, and implementation, he said. - FMT
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