MIC has proposed that the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra), now part of the Ministry of National Unity, be returned to the Prime Minister’s Department.

MIC president S.A. Vigneswaran also suggested that Mitra restructure its functions in line with the Bumiputera agenda steering unit (Teraju).

He also asked Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to consider that funds returned to the Treasury by Mitra to date, be returned to Mitra Foundation, which will be set up and managed by civil servants.

“We agree that Mitra was facing various constraints in spending the RM100 million allocated annually within the stipulated time.

“As a result, we have had to return more than RM400 million to date to the Ministry of Finance,” he said when addressing the 75th MIC general assembly at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said although the government had allocated the special fund for transformation of the Indian community, it was not used as Mitra could not comply with the existing financial procedures.

Meanwhile, Vigneswaran said MIC called on the government to increase the number of kindergarten classes in Tamil schools where the pupils were also given breakfast and the teachers provided with teaching materials.

He said this was starting to happen during the last Barisan Nasional (BN) government but it was disrupted after the last general election.

MIC also asked for the re-establishment of the Indian community cabinet special committee to develop the Indian community. – Bernama, December 12, 2021.