Revive the Malaysian Indian Blueprint to resolve socio-economic problems of the Indian community

 

THERE is an urgent need for the revival of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB). There is still a need for a comprehensive programme to transform the Indian community.

The community needs permanent solutions not goodies or handouts. The need of the Indian community continues to grow but yet the allocation for socio-economic development remains stagnant.

Recently during debate session on supply bill 2025, Tapah MP M. Saravanan asked the government to reintroduce the MIB to address problems of the Indian community comprehensively so that the Indian community were not left out of mainstream development.

The Indian community certainly is still in a dilemma, and it continues in a never-ending spiral.

The Indian community is a minority (third largest majority) but its 6.5% of the total population could play an important role in almost 70 constituencies out of 222 parliament constituencies.

By revitalising the Malaysian Indian Blueprint, the government can ensure the Indian community is not left behind.

The blueprint is a commitment and determination of the government to continue to develop the living standards of the Indian community in the country.

The Malaysian Indian Blueprint was formulated and launched in 2017 but sidelined in 2018 following the change of government. There seems to be a reluctance to revive the Malaysian Indian Blueprint.

Since, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said that various initiatives have been implemented to empower the Indian community, will he look into the revival of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint?

The latest budget announced by the government for 2025 is RM421 bil. Being an inclusive budget, it seems to have caused quite an unpleasantness among the Indian community.

Only RM130 million has been specified for this community that stands at approximately 6.5% of the total population, or approximately 2.17 million Malaysians of Indian origin.

The RM130 mil comprises RM100 mil for MITRA, a socioeconomic endeavor for the Indian community, and RM30 mil for TEKUN which are loans for small and medium enterprises owned by Indians.

Those are not new schemes introduced by the government; in actual fact these were introduced by former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak and have remained since then.

We don’t find any specific allocation for Tamil and Chinese schools in the budget speech apart from mention of funds of RM2 billion for upgrades and repairs of schools nationwide.

The marginalised group of Indians are not here to seek power in politics or to become rich. They just wish for a decent livelihood. They are too naïve, despite their plight and downtrodden life.

M. Vivekananthan has served the Malaysian government at various ministries and agencies for 30 years.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

- Focus Malaysia.