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New Straits Times

Hope and expectation of Malaysian Indians in 13MP

LETTERS: The Malaysian Indian community stands at a pivotal moment of hope and strategic opportunity with the launch of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This socio-economic blueprint offers a concrete avenue for redressing longstanding challenges and mainstreaming the Indian community into Malaysia's developmental agenda, as emphasised by the Malaysian Indian Socio-Economic Forum (MISEF) and allied stakeholders. For decades, the Malaysian Indian community has faced systemic exclusion manifesting as persistently high dropout rates from education, underrepresentation in high-growth sectors, widening income disparities, and limited access to business and employment opportunities. Particularly troubling is the dropout rate where up to 90 per cent of Indian students from low-income families leave school prematurely, perpetuating cycles of poverty and socio-economic marginalisation. The community's share of national wealth remains disproportionately low, with acute challenges in accessing government procurement, financial aid, and higher education pathways. The MISEF's Indian Agenda for 13MP outlines a holistic and strategic framework designed to unlock socio-economic potential through seven key action areas: • Transforming MITRA (Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit) into a strengthened, autonomous one-stop agency directly delivering services without intermediaries, backed by a RM500 million capital and annual grant, plus state-level branches for grassroots reach. • Inclusion in Government Procurement, advocating for at least 1-5% allocation of all government tenders and contracts above RM500,000 to Indian entrepreneurs and SMEs, aiming to integrate Indian businesses into the mainstream economy. • Educational Empowerment, focusing on mandatory preschool education in Tamil schools, infrastructure upgrades, tailored Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs to reduce dropout rates, and financial aid subsidies for tertiary education, particularly for vulnerable students. • Business and Innovation Facilitation, proposing a structured Indian business development platform within MITRA powered by community and government matched crowd-funding, enabling entrepreneurship and start-up support. • Strengthening Indian NGOs and NPOs, with transparent government grants to credible organisations working on welfare, youth training, and community development, thereby supplementing official outreach. • Regularising Hindu Temples and Heritage, through the establishment of a National Hindu Endowment Board to manage temple assets and rituals, funded by government grants and community contributions. • Preserving Indian Heritage Assets, including the Bujang Valley and Tamil schools' land in Perak, and promoting heritage tourism as part of a socio-cultural revitalisation agenda. These recommendations reflect an integrated approach that addresses not only socio-economic upliftment but community self-sufficiency, cultural preservation, and governance transparency. They align with the broader 13MP focus on the "MADANI Economy," emphasising inclusion, institutional reforms, and resilience in the face of global and domestic challenges. Recent public discussions and research underscore the urgency of such targeted interventions. Reports highlight that despite allocations like RM100 million to MITRA and RM30 million to Tekun schemes, the majority of the Indian community still grapples with educational setbacks, underemployment, and economic vulnerability, particularly in rural and urban B40 segments. The community's underrepresentation in cutting-edge economic sectors remains a critical bottleneck, necessitating skills development aligned with digital, AI, green, and blue economy sectors emphasised under 13MP. The government and civil society actors are closely monitoring 13MP's rollout, calling for the effective inclusion of these Indian community initiatives into national planning and budgets. Stakeholders advocate for increased MITRA funding, statutory reforms for autonomy and efficiency, and transparent governance mechanisms to ensure that promises translate into tangible progress. In sum, 13MP represents a beacon of hope and strategic inflection point for the Malaysian Indian community. By embedding the MISEF's comprehensive agenda into the national development plan, Malaysia can move closer to a future where equitable education, economic opportunity, cultural heritage, and social welfare for the Indian community are not just aspirations but realised outcomes. The next five years could witness transformative strides towards closing socio-economic gaps and fostering a genuinely inclusive Malaysian society. This is the hope and expectation of every Malaysian Indian. Let's keep pushing forward, surely the aspirations will be a reality soon!