Ramanan: Batu MP is Mitra committee chairman, but National Unity Ministry will decide direction

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — While Batu MP P. Prabakaran is the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) Special Committee chairman, the National Unity Ministry will decide on the committee’s functions when needed or to disband it, its former chairman and present Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister, Datuk R. Ramanan said.

The two-time Batu MP was appointed to the role last month.

Speaking in Parliament today, Ramanan was answering an additional question raised by Jelutong MP, RSN Rayer, who had questioned the extent of Prabakaran’s role in Mitra, and if it was true that the ministry had suggested to hire a private company to manage Mitra’s allocation distribution to the needy.

“It’s just that with regards to Mitra, previously Mitra was under the Prime Minister’s Department and chaired by you, and we saw that the allocation distribution through you and the committee members was truly transparent and the aim to help the socio-economic situation of the Indian community was achieved.

“The prime minister announced that Mitra will be moved to the National Unity Ministry, and I was made to understand it can be verified or not, that the committee will no longer function. That Batu will not be given any powers and the National Unity Minister had suggested having a private company distribute Mitra’s allocations. These are the rumours we heard.

“If that happens, I worry and am concerned that what happened before this will happen again, whereby Mitra’s funds were allocated without any transparency and therein will begin problems with the fund distribution not being in order among others,” Rayer said, asking Ramanan to explain if Prabakaran will run Mitra in his appointed capacity or have a private company intervene.

Ramanan in his reply said that though Prabakaran will remain Mitra chairman, the direction of the special committee will fall under the purview of the National Unity Ministry.

“Indeed, Batu was appointed as the chairman of the Mitra Special Committee, but Mitra was moved to the National Unity Ministry, so the National Unity Ministry is the one that will takeover, if needed, (and decide as to) whether the committee needs to be formed or not, according to the ministry’s needs,” Ramanan said.

The Socioeconomic Development of the Indian Community Unit (SEDIC) was renamed Mitra in 2018 and was initially under the Ministry of National Unity but was transferred to the Prime Minister’s Department in September 2022.

In December last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Mitra will be moved from the Prime Minister’s Department and placed back under the National Unity Ministry.

National news agency Bernama reported Anwar as assuring that he will continue to monitor the special unit responsible for addressing the socio-economic development issues of the Indian community in the country.

“As we know, Mitra had problems back then (2017). So, a year ago, we (the Unity Government) fixed it, where the programmes are more transparent, do not go to a political outfit (but) go right to the people, students, and so on.

“Therefore, the situation has improved; I can transfer it to the Ministry of Unity, but I still monitor it,” he was reported saying at a dialogue session with editors-in-chief and senior editors of the electronic, print and online media in Putrajaya.

* An earlier version of this article contained an error which has since been rectified.