The latest budget announced by the MADANI Government for 2025 is going to be a whopping spend of RM 421 billion. Purportedly, being an inclusive budget, it seems to have caused quite a stir amongst the Indian community and some of its more vocal and visible leaders. RM 130 million has been specified for this community that stands at around 6.5% of the total population, or approximately 2.17 million Malaysians of Indian origin. This roughly works out to be around RM 60 for every Indian origin Malaysian.
The RM130 million comprises RM 100 million for MITRA, a socioeconomic endeavor for the Indian Community, and RM 30 million for TEKUN, loans for small and medium enterprises owned by Indians. The primary angst is that RM100 million has not grown based on inflation or even targeted socioeconomic indicators ever since its inception back in 2017 by the then Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak as part of his vision to begin uplifting this marginalised community.
While leaders have asked for this RM100 million to be increased to at least RM300 million or more, one wonders how these funds actually get utilized and if there really is a return on invested funds that could be visibly seen in the socioeconomic upliftment of the community. Over the past seven years RM700 million has been given out through this fund. In what way has the community, as a whole, benefited? With an outlay of this magnitude, could we have been able to establish a quasi-Government-linked organisation or two that could have ensured the growth of asset ownership by the community as well as generated numerous job opportunities for members of the community? Could we not have set up a “Brain-Trust” that would not only provide scholarships and financial aid for the accomplished and needy students of the community but also mentored them toward more enriching career opportunities? Could we have developed better communication platforms that could help guide entrepreneurs toward better business opportunities and networks? Could we not have developed a networking system that empowers Indian entrepreneurs in Malaysia to collaborate on specific ventures with counterparts in India and across South Asia? The list goes on, but alas, we are still quibbling about RM 100 million that will eventually get distributed to various non-governmental organizations.
The bigger question is that, while in totality the Indian community is a small minority, its 6.5% of the total population could play a pivotal role in close to 70 constituencies out of the total 222 in parliament. A determining factor in a fractured democracy. But, alas, yet again, this is a fractured community that has not learned to best utilize its standing as an equal partner in continuing to build this beautiful nation of ours. We have not begun to ask why we only feature prominently during election season with sweet promises of progress and economic upliftment and then are left marginalised with paltry sums in the budget when announced after elections.
The Indian community certainly is still in a dilemma. Seemingly marginalized, it continues in a never-ending spiral, yet to realize its true potential to deliver even bigger dividends to the country if only we work as a united set of people with a common focus to progress on multiple fronts.
Ravindran Devagunam
— The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent MalaysiaGazette.
