Mitra's move back to PMD laudable but a little late: PN-linked party

The move to return the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) to the Prime Minister’s Department is laudable but could have been done sooner, a Perikatan Nasional-linked party said.

According to Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) deputy president S Subramaniam, the three months the unit spent parked under the National Unity Ministry was an “utter waste of time”.

“I welcome the decision (to return Mitra to PMD) as it was what the people had asked and wished for, all along.

“However, the three months the unit was parked under the Unity Ministry was a waste. Throughout the period, there was no development in the unit at all,” Subramaniam told Malaysiakini.

The flip-flop concerning the unit showed that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was not consistent in handling matters related to the Indian community, he added.

Yesterday, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said that Mitra will be returned to the PMD and that more details will be revealed soon.

Subramaniam also slammed the act of two deputy ministers from PKR, who previously bickered over Mitra.

MIPP deputy president S Subramaniam

This was in reference to Deputy National Unity Minister K Saraswathy during an engagement session with Indian elected representatives, saying that when Mitra was parked under PMD previously, some meetings were held in bars and cafes.

This prompted Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister R Ramanan, who is former Mitra special committee chairperson to fire back, challenging Saraswathy to prove her claims or resign if she failed to do so.

Saraswathy is a PKR vice-president while Ramanan is a member of the party's supreme council.

Batu MP P Prabakaran, who is also from PKR, is now the chairperson of the Mitra special committee.

Appoint a worthy leader

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago urged Anwar to appoint someone with a clear understanding of developing the community to helm the unit.

“The person who helms Mitra after this has to be experienced and skilled in the concept of development,” he told Malaysiakini.

He shared his experience of meeting Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar recently, who related how the country is strengthening the use of digital technology, even among kindergarten children.

“However, here we discuss funding to make muruku. This has to stop. This is not forward-thinking.

“The prime minister has to be careful about who he chooses for the job so that we can go forward in the next two years,” he said.

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago

Mitra, formerly known as the Socio-Economic Development of Indian Community (Sedic), 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 being transferred back to the PMD by then-premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Anwar’s 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. - Mkini