THERE is an urgent need for the revival of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB). There is still a need for a comprehensive program to transform the Indian community.
The community needs permanent solutions, not goodies or handouts. Their needs continue to grow, yet the allocation for their socio-economic development remains stagnant.
The MIB was formulated and launched in 2017, but sidelined in 2018 following the change of government. There seems to be a reluctance to revive it.
During the recent debate on the Supply Bill 2025, the Member of Parliament for Tapah, Datuk Seri M.Saravanan asked the government to reintroduce the MIB to address problems of the Indian community comprehensively, so that the community is not left out of mainstream development.
The budget announced by the government for 2025 is RM421 billion in total. But for an “inclusive budget”, it seems to have caused some unpleasantness among the Indian community.
Only RM130 million has been specified for this community, which comprises approximately 6.5% of the total population, or around 2.17 million Malaysians who are of Indian origin.
The RM130million comprises RM100 million for MITRA, a socioeconomic endeavour for the Indian community, and RM30million for the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (TEKUN) to provide loans to small and medium enterprises owned by Indians.
Those are not new schemes introduced by the government. They were introduced by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and have remained since then.
We don’t find any specific allocation for Tamil and Chinese schools in the Budget 2025 speech apart from mention of RM2 billion funds for upgrades and repairs of schools nationwide.
The Indian community is a minority, at 6.5% of the total population, yet they could play an important role in almost 70 constituencies out of 222 parliamentary seats.
Though marginalised, Indians are not here to seek power in politics or to become rich. They just wish for a decent livelihood. They are too naive, despite their plight and downtrodden life.
By revitalising the MIB, the government can ensure the Indian community is not left behind.
The blueprint is a commitment and determination of the government which launched it to continue to develop the living standards of the Indian community in the country.
Since, the Prime Minister has said that various initiatives have been implemented to empower the Indian community, will the Prime Minister look into the revival of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint? – November 20, 2024
M. Vivekananthan has served the Malaysian government at various ministries and agencies for 30 years.