MENTION Putrajaya’s Indian blueprint to single mother Hamsa Warthani and she returns a blank stare.

“It doesn’t apply to people like me. We don’t need ICs and we don’t have enough money to invest in unit trusts. And the work I do (making women’s accessories) won’t qualify for the business loans they are offering,” said the mother of four school-going children.

While her children may one day qualify for government jobs and university placements, neither Hamsa nor her sisters qualify for the civil service because of their lack of qualifications, she said.

Hamsa still lives with her parents, two older sisters and three children (daughters aged 17 and 12, and eight-year-old son) at her sister’s two-bedroom flat in Bayu Tinggi, Klang.

She told The Malaysian Insight that her immediate needs as a blue-collar worker with only form three education has been met by more localised programmes offered by the Selangor government.

DAP Klang service centre volunteer Mugilan Mugheelan said Hamsa’s case is common among the B40 (bottom 40% of Malaysian wage-earners) Indians in Klang.

“The Indian blueprint has many good points, such as more enrolment of Indians in the civil service or students who want to pursue higher education or special approval system for citizenship.

“But many in the B40 groups don’t qualify for these initiatives. Take the unit trust scheme… if they (B40) have money for unit trusts, they wouldn’t be struggling with groceries and electricity bills,” said Mugilan, who said his family were once in the B40 category.

The government announced the Malaysian Indian Blueprint last April with the aim of alleviating the community from poverty.

Among the initiatives are increasing the revolving fund for Indian entrepreneurs from RM150 million to RM500 million, a RM500 million unit trust scheme with Permodalan Nasional Bhd, 7% increases for public university enrolment and recruitment into the civil service and a special approval system for Indian Malaysians to gain citizenship.

State aid v blueprint

Until recently, when she got a permanent work contract, Hamsa could only work three to four hours a day for RM10 an hour as she had to care for her children and aging parents.

Along with the permanent placement, she now earns RM90 a day and in a good month, it goes as much as RM1,800.

With her father’s monthly pension of RM500 and her two sisters’ salaries as cleaners, Hamsa’s seven-person household is now out of the B40 group (household income below RM3,860). Her former husband was diagnosed with a heart problem and couldn’t work at Westports any more.

The DAP Klang service centre helped her fill up some forms for aid from the Selangor government and then enrolled her in the Indian entrepreneurs’ programme (IEP), said Hamsa.

After a three-month training stint, Hamsa was able to make women’s jewellery at home while caring for her family.

Apart from the training, her family also received RM50 a month from the state food bank, RM100 shopping voucher, RM200 per month under the KISS programme (to help single mothers) and subsidised medical aid under Pedulisihat (RM500 per family per year).

“There are now 420 people who are being trained under the IEP. They come from Klang, Kapar, Semenyih, Puchong, Batang Berjuntai, Kuang and Dengkil,” said Mugilan.

“Among the skills they can learn at IEP are garland-making, women’s accessories, tailoring, baking, photography, manicure and pedicure, facial, bridal make-up and how to make traditional cookies.

“After the training, they can apply for interest-free loans and so far, we have had a 50%-60% success rate where they can go on to earn additional income between RM500 and RM2,000 a month,” he said.

Courting Indian votes

Asked if she felt the Indians will be better off under Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Hamsa said she didn’t have strong opinions about whether the former prime minister’s return to politics, this time with the opposition, would affect her vote.

“I have heard things about him but that doesn’t bother me. What is important is my situation has gotten better now,” said Hamsa, who now trains other single mothers on making accessories.

Lorry driver Kalaiselvam Ahammuthu, 37, said he was unsure about what Dr Mahathir’s return would mean to Indians.

Kalaiselvam, who wanted to be a lawyer but couldn’t afford to further his studies, said Dr Mahathir should have addressed the Indian community’s problems but didn’t.

“I don’t know what to make of him but I trust Dr Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) and Lim (Kit Siang) that they are making the right decision to nominate him (Dr Mahathir),” said the Pekan native.

Like Hamsa, Kalaiselvam said the Indian blueprint does not reach the grassroots.

“No one I know has benefited from it,” said the Kalaiselvam, who earns between RM2,500 and RM5,000 depending on the number of trips he makes a month.

Lately, both Pakatan Harapan and PAS have begun wooing Indian voters ahead of the next elections. Last week, Dr Mahathir gave a speech ahead of Ponggal while PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang met with Indian civil society groups in Penang. – February 14, 2018.