Samy: Govt has given Indians RM430 mil

IPOH: The government has provided RM430 mil to help the development of the Indian community between 2001 and 2010, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said here.

He said the government had provided a grant of RM300mil to assist in the construction of the MIC-run Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) University in Kedah.

“They had allocated RM100mil under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to assist in the rebuilding of fully-aided and partially-aided Tamil schools, of which RM30mil was approved recently,” he told reporters here Sunday.

He also released pamphlets on MIC’s contributions and commitment to the country and community, Tamil school development and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak speech at a recent MIC convention, which would be distributed in all the MIC constituencies.

Commenting on opposition allegations that the government had done nothing or little to help the Indian community, Samy Vellu said there was no truth in the allegations.

“The opposition are only good at spreading lies after lies. They tell the people that this Barisan government does not help the Indians. They are the greatest liars,” he said.

He said the government had also provided scholarships for Indians to pursue their studies overseas as well as to give loans under the Higher Education Loan Fund.

Samy Vellu said the party-owned Tafe College had received an initial grant of RM8mil and had to date produced 44,000 semi-professionals.

He said the government had also allocated RM1mil annually for temples, apart from providing lands.

For the first time also, he added, Indian students were allowed into Giat Mara centres to pursue their education.

He said the government also provided places for high achieving Indian youths at Mara Junior Science Colleges (MRSM), which was traditionally accessible to Bumiputra youths only. He said the Finance Ministry had allocated RM3 mil for micro loans for 1,000 Indians who are undertaking or interested to undertake micro businesses while another RM5 mil was allocated by the government for youths to enrol in skills training courses.

Samy Vellu called on the opposition to tell what were their plans for the Indians and what they had done for them.

--THE STAR