NGO urges govt to look into community’s economic welfare standing

       KUALA LUMPUR: In an impassioned plea to improve the lives of Indians in the country, a non-governmental organisation has urged the government to draw up a 15-year plan that could help transform their economic standing.

       A strategic and sustainable plan was necessary to ensure the Indian community would be on par with the other races, said Malaysian Indian Thinkers and Awareness Organisation (Mitao) deputy president R. Masilamani.

       This long-term plan to help the community would require at least RM15bil, he said. He suggested that a special ministry be set up to manage Indian affairs and implement the plan effectively.

       “There must be ministerial support and a ministerial supervisory council to study and implement the plan. It must also be endorsed by Parliament and overseen by the Prime Minister or his deputy,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

       Apart from government officials from the relevant ministries, Masilamani said the council should have adequate representation of prominent figures or organisations from the Indian community.

       “There must also be direct involvement from the grassroots. We have seen many programmes for bumiputra implemented by the government but many of the initiatives had not produced results,” he said.

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       Masilamani said the organisation, backed by about 120 other Indian groups in the country, had been trying to meet the relevant officials over the past six months to champion their cause.

       For instance, he said the organisation had submitted two documents – a research paper on the background of Malaysian Indians and their contributions to the country, and a 10-point proposal to uplift the community – to the Prime Minister’s office but there had been no feedback yet.

       He said the declining standard of living among the Indians was worrying.

       Among the problems, he said, were unemployment and the rising dropout rate among Indian students. A delay in addressing the issue could lead to undesirable ramifications to the government and society, he said.

       “Even though the government has done many things for the community, it is not enough. This has to be looked into more seriously. We are not against the government. In fact, we fully support the Madani concept,” he said.