Ensure effective delivery of MITRA funds and initiatives
Letter to Editor
IN August 2024, Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit MITRA (MITRA) chairman P. Prabakaran requested an increase in the allocation for the India community to RM300 mil in Budget 2025, up from the current RM100 mil.
Prabakaran, who is also the Batu MP, said the RM 100mil allocated annually wasn't enough to effectively fund initiatives aimed at improving the socio-economic status of Malaysian Indians.
He highlighted concerns that the amount would be inadequate to meet the diverse needs of the community and drive meaningful upliftment programmes.
Now given that MITRA has endorsed 45 applications totaling RM40 mil which are awaiting processing at the Prime Minister's Office, why is there a delay in their disbursement?
Prabakaran had emphasised that the government needs to boost the budget to adequately support projects that are genuinely transformational for the Indian community.
Why aren't funding initiatives for the Indian community given higher importance?
As June approaches, it is concerning that the Indian community remains unaware of the actual disbursement status of the RM100 mil allocated to MITRA this year.
It is crucial that these funds are approved and effectively implemented without delay to provide tangible benefits for the Indian community.
MITRA opened applications for the Socioeconomic Development Grant Programme for the Malaysian Indian Community (PPSMI) 2025 from Oct 15 to Nov 14, 2024. That was about seven months ago.
MITRA should undergo a full restructuring.
To fulfill her May 23 PKR election promise to champion the Indian community, Nurul Izzah Anwar faces the critical task of fast-tracking MITRA's initiatives and programmes.
She must guarantee the swift approval and implementation of the RM40 mil allocated for Phase 1 of Budget 2025, as any further delays will hinder tangible progress and risk the return of unutilised funds to the Finance Ministry by the third quarter of 2025.
It's been almost four months since funds amounting to RM40 mil for NGOs and training organisations were approved and agreements were signed.
Yet, the money remains undistributed and there's no clear execution plan in sight. This delay hinders vital community works and training initiatives
The recommendation is for community development professionals and experts to lead the organization. This change is crucial to ensure both transparency and effective management within MITRA. ‒ June 3, 2025
Muniandy Krishna
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Indian pilgrimages to China's Xizang resume after five-year hiatus
This undated photo shows the peak of Gang Rinpoche basking in the morning sun. - Photo provided to China Daily LHASA, (China): A group of pilgrims from India arrived in Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region on Friday (June 20), marking the resumption of pilgrimages to Mount Gang Renpoche and Lake Mapam Yun Tso in the region after a five-year hiatus. A total of 39 Indian pilgrims formed the first officially organised pilgrimage group this year. They entered China via the Nathu La Pass at about noon on Friday. They will visit the sacred Hindu and Buddhist sites of Mount Gang Renpoche and Lake Mapam Yun Tso in Xizang's Ngari prefecture during their 12-day journey. For 68-year-old Damina Bendya, who is making her first visit to China, the mountain is a sacred place. "China and India are neighbors. China is wonderful, and all the staff here have been very warm and helpful," she said. Indian pilgrimages to the two sites in Xizang were suspended in 2020. On April 28 this year, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun announced their resumption this summer under a bilateral agreement. Mount Gang Renpoche and Lake Mapam Yun Tso are the "sacred mountain and lake" for believers of several religions, including Tibetan Buddhism and Hinduism, Guo said, adding that these pilgrimages are an important part of cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and India. Noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and India, Guo said that China stands ready to work with India to earnestly implement the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, and to advance China-India relations on the track of sound and stable development. A second group of Indian pilgrims is scheduled to enter China via the Nathu La Pass on June 25, according to the regional foreign affairs office. - China Daily/ANN
Focus Malaysia
an hour ago
- Focus Malaysia
MCA baffled by PMX's claim of RM20b national debt cut when it has surged 11.4% under Madani rule
PRIME Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim must stop using selective framing and misrepresenting concepts to downplay the seriousness of the national debt situation or to claim undue credit. The public deserves transparency, particularly in the face of rising inflation, a soaring cost of living and growing economic hardship. What is urgently needed are concrete, revenue-generating economic policies, not a continued dependence on tax increases and subsidy reductions that place additional financial pressure on the rakyat. Recently, PMX stated that Malaysia's new borrowings have decreased annually from RM100 bil in 2022 to RM80 bil in 2024. He also claimed that consistent efforts have been made since 2022 to reduce the fiscal deficit from 5.5% to a projected 3.8% this year. However, such narrative attempts to obscure the actual increase in overall national debt by focusing only on the decline in new borrowing. Borrowing drops bit debt level surges The claim of a RM20 bil drop in new debt over three years does not reflect the full picture. According to the latest fiscal and debt data released by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the national debt continues to rise. Official reports such as the Government Finance Statistics and the Economic Outlook Report show that federal government debt exceeded RM1.17 tril as of end-2023. This figure rose to RM1.63 tril in 2024 and remained high at RM1.25 tril as of 1Q 2025. These numbers directly contradict PMX's claims and reveal a clear attempt to present a misleading version of the national debt status by selectively using statistics. National debt cannot be assessed by focusing solely on new borrowings. The total size of the debt, the debt-to-GDP ratio, re-financing obligations and interest liabilities are all key structural factors that must be addressed. Suggesting that borrowing slightly less this year indicates meaningful fiscal improvement underestimates the public's understanding and concern. Self-deception What matters most to the people is the actual debt burden carried by the country – not how the government chooses to interpret the data. If the debt continues to grow and interest payments increase, then PMX's remarks amount to self-deception and risk eroding public trust. Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim berkata kerajaan berjaya mengurangkan jumlah hutang negara sebanyak RM20 bilion sejak mengambil alih pentadbiran pada tahun 2022. Beliau yang juga menteri kewangan berkata bermula dengan hutang berjumlah RM100 bilion, kerajaan kini menyasarkan… — Malaysiakini (BM) (@mkini_bm) June 20, 2025 Editor's Note: Kindly read comments by man-on-the-street Malaysians to the Malaysiakini post. Despite repeated assurances of fiscal reform and financial discipline, the Madani government has yet to demonstrate genuine progress in reducing national debt or budget deficits over the past two years. Instead, it has expanded the Sales and Services Tax (SST) and reduced subsidies, effectively shifting the fiscal burden onto the public while failing to rein in government expenditure. Balancing the national budget should not come at the expense of ordinary Malaysians. The real crisis today lies in inflation and the rising cost of living. Yet the government has failed to introduce any substantial, revenue-boosting economic policy or reform plan. What the country truly needs are forward-looking policies that raise incomes, encourage investment and create employment opportunities. Fiscal reforms must not be used as an excuse to add to the public's burden. Malaysians do not need more political packaging. What is urgently required are real, effective solutions that provide relief and restore confidence. – June 22, 2025 A PhD holder in theoretical economics from the Perking University and a business development actuary, Saw Yee Fung is the MCA Youth secretary general. The views expressed are solely of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
MONEY THOUGHTS: A practical blueprint for modest wealth
This is our current reality: United States President Donald Trump's asinine trade tariff tantrum will make life tougher for both Americans and the rest of the world, because the economic friction introduced by his tariffs will lower Earth's potential aggregate economic growth. The reduction will make life less palatable for most of Earth's 8.2 billion people. Thankfully, there are ways for regular people to restructure their finances to benefit from the economic and capital market volatility stemming from bad policies gushing out from the once-respected White House like a high-pressure stream of raw sewage. In April, Forbes magazine released its 39th annual World's Billionaires list. It unearthed a record number of 3,028 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of US$16.1 trillion. The mean net worth of those 3,000-plus super-wealthy men and women this year: US$5.3 billion. The world's first billionaire was oilman John Davison Rockefeller — later referred to as John D. Rockefeller Sr when his son John D. Rockefeller Jr was born. JDR Sr became a billionaire in 1916 at the age of 77. To their credit, he and his progeny nurtured a culture of philanthropy that benefitted millions over many decades. JDR Sr died in 1937 at the age of 97 years and 10 months. Five years before his demise, in writer John Thomas Flynn's book God's Gold: The Story of Rockefeller and His Times, JDR Sr is quoted saying: "I believe the power to make money is a gift from God — just as the instincts for art, music, literature, the doctor's talent, the nurse's, yours — to be developed and used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. "Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money and still more money; and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience." I find that almost century-old statement of mission and intent (from 1932) inspiring. LESSONS AND PRINCIPLES I recognise it is unlikely any of Earth's current crop of 3,028 billionaires will read this Money Thoughts column, including the 19 of them who are Malaysians with average net worths of about US$3 billion or RM12.7 billion. I probably don't have anything of value to share with those super-elite individuals who account for 0.000037 per cent of all living humans. However — and this I know from decades of client interactions — when it comes to attaining modest levels of wealth, say in the much lower RM100,000 to RM10 million range, I do have viable lessons and principles to share with many people. Toward that end, there is a multi-part blueprint which I'm happy to share with ambitious readers. Note: Meaningful levels of domestic, regional, and global philanthropy can be achieved by the many millions of people worldwide who are capable of building wealth levels in the range of RM100,000 to RM10 million. So, to help such individuals, I've been laying the foundation of this blueprint over several weeks. Here it is: 1. Recognise the value of two distinct processes; 2. Embrace high market volatility as a long-term aid to wealth-building; 3. Harness a logical long-term investment strategy; and 4. Use a readily available banking facility to put your plan on autopilot. Allow me to elaborate: 1. The Two Processes The six-step financial planning process and a logical three-part wealth-building process can be of use to almost all adults of sound mind. Read that recent Money Thoughts column for a rundown of both processes. Do take note of the second process, which comprises one principle, one strategy and one system. Each of which will be sequentially covered below to provide you — hopefully — with a robust framework to build future wealth for your family, most likely within the target range of RM100,000 to RM10 million. 2. Volatility's hidden value In both business and investing, the most straightforward way to make money is to buy low, and sell high. It is a powerful principle. When we understand this unchanging economic truth, we can begin looking upon asset price volatility as a beneficial wealth-building mechanism. Elaboration: 3. Understand dollar-cost averaging Unfortunately, a mere cerebral acceptance of the validity of buying low and selling high is useless unless we can also implement a disciplined strategy to do so consistently. The dollar-cost averaging (DCA) fits the bill. Perfectly. 4. Rely on standing instructions Finally, even after we reach the point of understanding that it is economically beneficial to implement a personal DCA strategy when aiming to build lifelong wealth, we still need a pragmatic system to automatically and emotionlessly implement that strategy. The system I recommend hinges on bank Standing Instructions that regularly shunt cash out of our bank account into, ideally, a diversified savings and investment portfolio for decades on end. Digesting all the material in today's column requires time and attention. I know most readers won't embark on the full journey, but the minority that does will prosper; and in all likelihood, bigtime. © 2025 Rajen Devadason
