Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) chairman P Prabakaran has attributed its past failures to a lack of consistent leadership, which he said disrupted long-term efforts to uplift the Indian community.
Prabakaran (PH-Batu) told the Dewan Rakyat today that over the past decade, Mitra and its predecessor, the Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community Unit (Sedic), had seen frequent changes in leadership.
“There were so many leadership changes. Every year, the director-general changes, the leadership changes.
“When that happens, the policies in Mitra change, too. One year, there’s a programme. The next year, there’s a new leader and it (the programme) disappears. That’s why there’s no real transformation.
“Mitra failed to make a big impact on the Indian community because there was no continuity,” Prabakaran, who currently chairs the unit, said.
He said under his tenure, he ensured that Mitra’s direction was aligned with national policies and not individual preferences.
“Even if I’m not in Mitra tomorrow, its direction must be in line with the government’s policies. It cannot be left to the whims of whoever is leading it at the time,” he said.
To address this, he said, Mitra had begun working with the likes of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), the women, family and community development ministry, as well as digital agencies to carry out intervention programmes so that its funds would reach the community effectively.
Prabakaran voiced concern over the tendency of Mitra being made a point of contact for matters beyond its scope, citing the example of the chairman of a religious-based NGO coming to see him to obtain tax-free status for the group.
“I told him we don’t give tax exemptions. You have to go to the proper government agency, but he said the agency he went to had referred him to Mitra.”
He stressed that Mitra was ready to assist across sectors, but needed significantly more funding to do so.
“Mitra can help with all this, but give me RM5 billion so that I can help solve the Indian community’s problems,” he said.
Prabakaran also defended the transparency of grant distribution under his leadership, saying he, along with the Segamat and Jelutong MPs, had formed a special task force under the unit responsible for managing and overseeing funds allocated for the socioeconomic development of the Malaysian Indian community.
“I made sure that neither I nor my fellow members are (directly) involved in grant-giving. We ensure that the process was transparent and fair,” he said.
