HUGE BOOST FOR INDIAN COMMUNITY
THE Malaysian Indian Blueprint, two years in the making, details measures which will create numerous opportunities for the advancement of the community. The prime minister says the initiatives will strengthen the capability of Indians in the B40 bracket.
REVOLVING FUND OF RM500 MILLION FOR INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS
PROPORTION OF INDIAN CIVIL SERVANTS TO BE INCREASED TO AT LEAST 7 PER CENT
SOLUTION TO DOCUMENTATION AND CITIZENSHIP PROBLEMS FOR UP TO 25,000
PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday outlined several schemes to provide better education, employment, business opportunities and social inclusion for Indians in the country.
In his speech at the launch of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB), Najib said the plans drafted in the document would increase the capability of Indians living in the bottom 40 per cent of households (B40) bracket.
“Through this blueprint, we hope to fulfil the basic needs of each Indian household living below the poverty line, and take them out of it.
“There is a gap in the Indian community where income distribution is focused on the top 20 (per cent) and middle 40 (per cent). With regard to this, the blueprint aims to elevate the capability of the B40 through employment, entrepreneurship and ease of setting up businesses.”
Najib also agreed with Health Minister and MIC president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam’s suggestion for the government to set up a revolving fund of RM500 million cumulatively to better accommodate the financial needs of Indian entrepreneurs.
He said to date, the government had helped 29,115 Indian entrepreneurs secure loans from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, Tekun and SME Bank worth RM1.2 billion.
Najib also announced a RM500 million allocation as seed fund in the relevant Permodalan Nasional Bhd unit trust schemes to encourage the saving habit among the B40 economic stratum.
For education, Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said the government, in four years’ time, would work with Indus Education Fund to allocate RM40 million to help Indian students at the tertiary level.
MIB is also set to see an increase in the proportion of Indians in the civil service to at least seven per cent at all grade levels within 10 years.
The blueprint is also set to see an increase of Indians, also to seven per cent, in all government colleges, universities, polytechnics and other tertiary education
institutions, without compromising entry standards.
In ensuring social inclusion for the Indian community, Najib said the government was committed to finding a solution to documentation and citizenship problems, which he referred to as “legacy issues”. He said there was an estimated 25,000 people born before independence without proper documentation.
“I agree on having a special approval system implemented by the Home Ministry to help Indians living in the country or born before 1957 get their citizenship,” he said, adding that a campaign to identify those without proper documentation would be conducted.
Najib refuted claims that the blueprint was political rhetoric to gain support in the next general election as the idea for the blueprint was announced during the presentation of the 11th Malaysia Plan in May 2015.
“This is not just for show. There are people who claim that the blueprint was drawn up to face the elections. What we are doing is not to syok sendiri (indulge one’s self ) or rhetoric,” he said. “In Tamil, it’s not vetti pecchu (meaningless talk) but nijjam (truth).”
He said it took the government almost two years to complete the blueprint as it gathered data and feedback from government agencies and the grassroots.
“We admit that to change the socio-economic status of the B40 of any race isn’t easy. There are no easy solutions.
“If we make concerted efforts, followed by affirmative actions, change will be seen.”
Present at the launch were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, and BN component party leaders and ministers. Additional reporting by Zafira Anwar
Page 1 pic: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, his deputy, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam (sixth from left) at the launch of the Malaysian Indian Blueprint at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday.