An Indian based party in Malaysia, Minority Rights Action Party (Mira) which was formerly known as NewGen, criticised Malaysian PM Najib Razak on his ‘supposed’ overture towards the Indian community in Malaysia.
The party’s Deputy Secretary General Karthigesu Karuppiah had a series of questions for Najib in a note which he said is a closer examination of the Budget after the dust of the euphoria of a budget of goodies has settled in Kuala Lumpur.
“A closer examination of the Budget 2018, as far as Indian Malaysian Community is concerned, reveals many shocking *devils in the details,” said Karuppiah.
As most of the skeptics, Karuppiah questioned the Budget expenditure is RM280 billion.
“Money allocated for Indian Malaysian Community is RM150 million. The breakdown; RM50 million for TEKUN, RM50 million under SEDIC, RM50 million for Tamil Schools. A total of RM150 million, actually amounts to 0.053% of the budget,” he wrote.
He said that for a community which shed its blood, tears and sacrificed so much for over 200 years for this nation. “Look what they got in return.”
He said a promise of RM1.5 billion share equity purchase option via PNB was announced in Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) last April, which PM Najib just reiterated it in the Budget.
“Hold your breath! What many don’t realise is Indian B40 community (those who are classified as the population earning less than ringgit 2000-3000 and are called the below 40%) need to buy the unit trust shares with their savings or bank borrowings!
“Where in the world, Indian B40 going to raise the money?(Or is it MAIKA 2.0????) Another announcement, in the Budget was a 7% increase in Public Universities intake,” he asked.
Be he added: “We sincerely hope it materializes as costs of tertiary has gone sky high beyond the reach of the poor.
“The poor cannot afford Private Universities. Further, a 7% increase in Civil Service intake, but this was also announced in April 2017, during MIB launch but no concrete action, thus far.
“So much from New Father of Indian development Viva BN. Long live Najib,” he said.