In a statement, MIPP president P Punithan said the blueprint encompassed all sectors and had various initiatives and policies for the development of the Indian community.
“Why the reluctance to implement it? Just do it. We don’t need ad hoc goodies or short-term gifts. We need permanent solutions to uplift the Indian community,” he said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed that RM1.5 million had been allocated for food baskets in conjunction with Deepavali, which falls on Oct 31 this year.
He said RM20 million had also been channelled for the construction of crematoriums in several states, including Kedah, Johor, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the government’s commitment to the Indian community would continue through Budget 2025, which would be presented on Oct 18.
He also cited past allocations given to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) and increased funding for programmes such as the National Entrepreneurial Group Economic Fund (Tekun) and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.
Punithan, however, claimed that the government seemed to be buying time over its efforts to assist the Indian community.
“The prime minister once said (the government) would solve the problems faced by the community in one year. It has been more than a year, but the problems are not solved and there are no clear measures to develop the third largest race in this country – the Indians,” he said.
The Malaysian Indian Blueprint was formulated in 2017 and introduced by the government under the leadership of former prime minister Najib Razak. However, it has yet to be implemented.
The blueprint was intended to address the socio-economic challenges faced by the Indian community in Malaysia, focusing on areas such as education, employment and economic empowerment.
In March, it was announced that Putrajaya had appointed Pemandu, a consultant firm, to develop a blueprint for Mitra.
Former unity minister P Waytha Moorthy shot this down and accused the government of attempting to derail efforts to help Malaysian Indians through the creation of another blueprint for the community.