Malaysia-Govt to uplift living standards of Indians

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will set up three key centres to help people of ethnic Indian origin in Malaysia to modernise their businesses and cut crime rate among the youth of the minority community in a bid to uplift their living standards.

S. K. Devamany, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said ethnic Indians, who form eight per cent of Malaysia's population of 27 million people, needed to improve their living standards and compete with others, especially in the business world.

The government announced the setting up of three centres focusing on small and medium enterprises (SME), the retail industry and reducing crime among youth.

"We are now working on the retail industry because Indians are still running their businesses the traditional way and need to modernise their outlets to compete with others," he said, stressing that ethnic Indians needed to venture more into SMEs.

Devamany said he was also working with Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar on establishing a centre to reduce the crime rate among Indian youth.

The Indian community has often complained that the government was not doing enough to uplift the minority ethnic group.

Malaysia's new ethnic Indian leader has asked the government to step up efforts to uplift the community in the country, if the ruling coalition wanted wanted support from it.

G Palanivel, who took over the mantle of MIC president from veteran Samy Vellu earlier this month, asked the government to step up efforts to uplift the community in the country, if it was looking for support.

"We are a minority community which needs the government's help. We want the community to move forward, to be empowered and to be in the mainstream of development. The government must take care of us," Palanivel had said.

"Take care of us and the Indian votes will come back. Neglect us and the votes will run away. Indians should be given a good quality of life; many are struggling," he warned.

The MIC is one of the 13 parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional alliance. The party suffered its worst defeat in the 2008 general elections, losing six of the nine parliamentary seats it contested.