Mitra denies laptops distributed to Tamil schools unusable
Responding to allegations previously issued by Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) deputy president S Subramaniam, Mitra's special task force committee said their survey found that the programme had an overall positive impact on school administrators and teachers.
The committee's chairperson P Prabakaran said...
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New Straits Times
5 days ago
- New Straits Times
13MP debate descends into shouting match once again over "kafir harbi" remark
KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan was once again thrown into a shouting match this afternoon when an opposition member of parliament called RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) "kafir harbi" (non-believers who are against Islam). It all started when Datuk Awang Solahuddin Hashim (PN-Pendang) accused the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) of failing to deliver aid. He claimed that despite RM100 million being allocated for Mitra, "not a single cent" had been released and accused some board members of doing nothing for the Indian community. Following Awang's allegations, Rayer rose and interjected, citing the standing order and accusing him of making a malicious assumption regarding Mitra's allocations. "How does he, or Batu and Segamat, together with Indian MPs and other non-Indian MPs, know that this matter has not been brought to the prime minister's attention? "How does he know the prime minister does not care about this matter? Don't make accusations or malicious assumptions. I don't want to waste time with Pendang... I am fed up with him," he said. The heated exchange between the two continued before being stopped by Syahredzan Johan, who was presiding over the session. Awang later resumed his debate and took a jab at Rayer, saying that Pas had remained calm even when the party was previously labelled "Parti Ajaran Sesat." "They even called Pas 'Parti Ajaran Sesat,' but we stayed calm. One of them is a kafir harbi who called us that. He said it just now in Parliament. But we stayed calm," he said. Tensions escalated further after Chong Zemin (PH-Kampar) interjected in defence of Rayer before being muted by Syahredzan. Syahredzan later instructed Awang to withdraw the "kafir harbi" term, which he did, and the session subsequently resumed.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Bersatu wing tells govt Indian MPs to quit over Mitra's failure
Bersatu associate wing vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan called for a forensic audit to be conducted on all of Mitra's expenditure since its establishment. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : A Bersatu associate wing leader says government Indian MPs who lack the courage to speak up about the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) should resign immediately following a DAP lawmaker's view that Mitra had failed to help Indians most in need. Earlier today, Klang MP V Ganabatirau told the Dewan Rakyat that Mitra had been hampered by frequent leadership changes, bureaucracy and the lack of long-term planning. He also said funds often failed to reach those most in need and accused some ministries of treating Mitra as an 'emergency fund' rather than a proper development agency. In a statement, Bersatu associate wing vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan said Ganabatirau's admission confirmed that Mitra had become a 'political tool and a crony project hub, not a saviour for the community'. 'This is not just Mitra's failure – this is a moral failure of all Indian elected representatives in the government,' said Sanjeevan. 'They were chosen to be the voice of the people, but in the end, they have become enablers of weaknesses and abuse of power. 'Indian MPs in the government who lack the courage to speak up should immediately resign. Don't put on a show pretending to speak out about Mitra just to gain popularity and votes from the Indian community.' Apart from calling for a forensic audit to be conducted on all of Mitra's expenditure since its establishment, Sanjeevan also said all Mitra projects that had failed to meet their objectives should be made public. Last week, Mitra chairman P Prabakaran said the agency's past failures were due to a lack of continuity, which he said disrupted long-term efforts to uplift the Indian community. Prabakaran told the Dewan Rakyat that over the past decade, Mitra and its predecessor, the Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community Unit, had seen frequent changes in leadership and policies. However, Prabakaran said under his tenure, he had ensured that Mitra's direction was aligned with national policies – and not individual preferences. The Batu MP took over as Mitra chairman in February 2024.
Free Malaysia Today
6 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Mitra has failed to help Indians most in need, says DAP MP
Klang MP V Ganabatirau said Mitra is crippled by leadership changes, bureaucracy and poor planning, with funds failing to reach those most in need. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : A DAP MP has slammed the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) for failing to deliver aid to the Indian community at the grassroots, blaming frequent leadership changes, bureaucracy and the lack of long-term planning. V Ganabatirau (PH-Klang) said funds often did not reach those most in need, while some ministries treated Mitra as an 'emergency fund' rather than a proper development agency. 'What is more worrying is the mentality of some ministries and government agencies, which seem to consider Mitra as an emergency fund to solve every problem faced by the Indian community,' he said in debating the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat. Ganabatirau said Mitra could become more effective if it was restructured with parliamentary oversight or converted into a proper statutory body, with yearly audits and clear targets set in the areas of education, skills and social aid. The former Selangor executive councillor said he had submitted complaints about Mitra's poor management to the prime minister, but no action was taken. He also claimed that he was removed as a member of Mitra's special committee because he was outspoken about the unit's issues. 'I want to state here that I was removed because I spoke out.' The DAP man was made a member of Mitra's special committee in April 2023, when Sungai Buloh MP R Ramanan was appointed as its chairman. Ganabatirau told FMT he was removed from the committee in the middle of 2023. PKR's Batu MP P Prabakaran took over as Mitra chairman in February 2024. Currently, the Mitra special committee has only two other members, namely DAP's RSN Rayer (PH-Jelutong) and PKR's R Yuneswaran (PH-Segamat).
