PUTRAJAYA must return to the Malaysian Indian blueprint (MIB) to help and elevate the community, said MIC vice-president Sivarraajh Chandran.

The blueprint was introduced by the previous Barisan Nasional government in 2017 but was put on the backburner when Pakatan Harapan won the 2018 elections.

Sivarraajh said the MIB is an important programme with key policies and decisions for the Indian community.

He said the blueprint had proposed solutions to several major issues facing Indians.

“For the MIB, we identified 36 problems in our community and suggested solutions in order to make the necessary and important policy changes.

“Policy is very important because once done, the government is committed to delivering it. But now, no one is talking about policy for Indians.

“If anyone is serious about getting the Indian vote, the MIB should be reinstated. Even the present government could do it,” Sivarraajh told The Malaysian Insight in an interview.

The MIB is the brainchild of former prime minister Najib Razak.

Its goals are to improve the socio-economic status of Indians by raising their incomes and education levels, creating business opportunities for them, reserving more jobs for them in government, resolving issues of statelessness among the community’s poor, among others.

Nearly two million Indians make up 7% of Malaysia’s 32-million population.

The MIB was seed-funded with RM500 million from Permodalan Nasional Bhd.

In August 2018, after PH took office, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waythamoorthy had told the Dewan Negara that the MIB was under review.

Sivarraajh said if Najib had stayed in power for another term, he would have had time to realise the MIB goal of uplifting the Indian community.

“Yes. If he had won and had BN stayed in power, for just another term, the MIB would have been achieved and Indians would have benefited,” he said.

Sivarraajh continued to lavish praise on the former prime minister, saying that Najib was the best prime minister for the Indian community.

Putting aside the scandals surrounding him, Najib had done so much to brighten the lives and future of the community, said the former Cameron Highlands MP.

“He served the Indians well and he gave them a lot of opportunities.

“At the same time, in terms of policy, he tried to change many things to benefit the Indians.

“So, minus the 1MDB scandal, he was a very good prime minister to the Indians; his kind is very hard to find these days,” he said.

He said no other prime minister has done as much as Najib for the Indian community.

“He is a very positive kind of leader.

“If we could have a prime minister with the mindset of Najib, it would be good for our community.

“Other prime ministers were nowhere near Najib.” – April 4, 2021.