The Malaysian Insight

ALLOCATIONS in Budget 2018 is crucial to carry out the targets set in Putrajaya’s Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB), MIC president Dr S. Subramaniam said today.

There has been six previous blueprints approved by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government but none have taken off the ground for the community that now numbers 1.8 million.

Subramaniam, who is also health minister, said the the budget demonstrated the government’s commitment to address issues like education and employment among the Indian community.

“This budget is crucial for us to ensure whether (Malaysian Indian Blueprint) is going to kick off or not.

“We will continue it for the next 10 years, and I’m sure that we will bring out the transformation in 10 years,” he said at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

In April, Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that some RM1 billion would be committed to the 10-year MIB.

Low-income ethnic Indians stand to benefit from an injection of RM500 million into unit trust investment schemes. More Indians will be given places in public universities, polytechnics and colleges.

Cash-strapped Indian students will be given funds to further their studies. Also, Indians who have been in Malaysia before 1957 will be given citizenship.

Budget 2018, meanwhile, introduced new initiatives for the Indian community amounting to RM1.5 billion in the form of additional units of Amanah Saham 1Malaysia, which is limited to 30,000 units per investor.

It also allocated RM50 million for Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga (Tekun) to help more than 35,000 entrepreneurs and additional RM50 million for Indian community’s socioeconomic development programme.

Subramaniam said the budget was in line with the promises made by the ruling coalition to provide a better future for the Indian community.

“Because they will have better future, they will vote for us.

“We will take all this to the grounds, tell them we are doing so much (and) if we don’t do this we are a stupid political party,” he said when asked whether the budget will deliver Indian votes to the party.

He also added that the budget was more comprehensive for the Indian community than what was offered in Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) alternative budget.

“I can’t see their (PH) focus for the Indian community, that’s why I can’t comment.

“Overall, the budget by the prime minister is for people from all walks of life, from the newborn to the elderly,” he said.

In PH’s alternative budget, a special fund to increase the equity share of Indian Malaysians will be set up as well as a separate fund to nurture Indian entrepreneurs. – October 29, 2017.