PONTIAN: Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi has been urged to intervene in the construction of the RM1.3mil centre for the Indian community to perform their last rites that has been pending since last year.
Johor MIC chief R. Vidyananthan said that Onn Hafiz was personally involved in the groundbreaking ceremony of the centre in Tanjung Langsat in November last year.
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“A total of RM1mil had been allocated to carry out the project initially. The Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG), which was tasked with carrying out the project, has asked for another RM300,000 for the project.
“The Mentri Besar has also given the extra allocation. What is surprising is that until today, no further action has been taken with regard to this project.
"When we try to get information from the MBPG mayor and Mentri Besar's office, we feel like we are being pushed around,” he said when met after the Johor MIC meeting at its Pontian office here Saturday (July 15).
He added that the centre was important for the Indian community and they have been waiting for it for the past 20 years.
“We have been trying to get the land for about 20 years. Now we already have the land and funds, the Mentri Besar was also involved in the groundbreaking ceremony, why is the project still not moving?
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“This has not only raised questions from the MIC but the Indian community on the ground. They have become impatient. What is worse is that we could not get a concrete answer as to the exact status of the project.
“We seek the Johor Mentri Besar’s intervention to solve this issue. He needs to tell us why it is not moving,” he said, hoping that the project can be kicked off as soon as possible.
The project was supposed to have begun in 2018, but was postponed after the change in state government.
The centre, the first of its kind in the state, involves an area of 0.2ha with MBPG allocating RM1mil for the project with an additional RM300,000 from the state government.
On a separate matter, Vidyananthan also urged Onn Hafiz to revive the practice of awarding 10% of infrastructure projects to Indian contractors as done under the administration of the previous Mentri Besar.
“This was the practice during Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad’s time.
“I was made to understand that the Mentri Besar's Office has come out with a letter to the Johor Centre for Construction Development (JCCD), asking them to start rolling the projects out for Indian constructors.
“However, this has yet to happen. Even during the Johor floods, where there were many jobs to be done, there were no projects given to the Indian contractors. We need the Mentri Besar to also intervene in this matter,” he said.
On another matter, Vidyananthan said that Onn Hafiz should also reactivate the Indian task force committee to make way for issues involving the community to be addressed.
“There are many issues involving the Indian community that need to be addressed, this includes on the matter of burial grounds and Tamil schools.
“We do not want these issues to be discussed on a case-to-case basis. We want to have a proper platform that is chaired by the Mentri Besar, assisted by an Indian state executive councillor, and involving the heads of the relevant agencies.
“This has been done before and proved to be effective. We are prepared to work with the Mentri Besar for the betterment of the Indian community,” he said.
“Johor MIC is fully behind the Mentri Besar’s leadership but he should also listen to our suggestions,” he said.