COMMENT BY PROF DR P.RAMASAMY,
INTERIM COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, URIMAI PARTY
Taking control of Mitra might not bring in Indian support
I really wonder how the fight for who controls the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) will enhance the standing of DAP and PKR in eyes of the Indian community. Someone must be joking to say that the control is essential to win back the Indian support that was lost to PH in the last state elections.
The dropping of some Indian leaders in Penang and Selangor by the DAP might have contributed to decline in Indian support.
Presently, although Mitra has been placed under the national unity ministry, the earlier committee headed by Sungei Buloh MP and deputy minister R. Ramanan is still in control.
The DAP might want the present committee to continue but their eyes are set on taking over the chairman or coordinator’s post.
The DAP leadership has never been happy with the chairmanship under PKR. Unknown to many, there is another political battle that is taking place between certain PKR leaders for the control of Mitra.
The deputy minister in the national unity ministry K. Saraswathy thinks that she should be the rightful person who should be made in charge of Mitra since the outfit is under her ministry.
The control for Mitra might be a two front battle, between the PKR and the DAP and within PKR. There is strong lobbying within PH in general and with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in particular for the control of Mitra.
As I have repeated many times in the past, the RM100 allocation to Mitra is like drop in the ocean. Even this allocation in the past had been subject to abuse, the funds not reaching the targets group, the B40 Indians.
This is why I have suggested the government to think of an allocation of RM2 billion to Mitra. With the pittance allocated to Mitra, it would be inconceivable that the agency can make a meaningful impact on the Indian poor.
Despite the boasts of spending the allocation, there are still lingering doubts whether the funds have gone to the target groups.
Given minuscule impact of Mitra on the Indian community I don’t understand why there would be a scramble among PKR and the DAP leaders to take control of the agency.
Within PKR, there is a competition between different factions of the Indian leaders to gain control Mitra.
Anwar must be laughing to himself to realise that Indians can easily be divided by creating agencies such as Mitra with limited funds. It is just a matter of time, before the community’s leaders will be fighting to take control of these agencies. The sad and tragic fate of the community will be forgotten.
Indians in the DAP and PKR might be ambitious to take control of Mitra. But taking over Mitra doesn’t mean that these political parties will bring back the lost Indian support or halt the further erosion of political support.
