It appears all the incessant pleas and reports about the poor state of affairs in the estates – and those who have left the estates but find it difficult to adjust or cope with city or town life – have not fallen on deaf ears. After all, it has attracted the attention of the prime minister.

In the 10th Malaysia Plan, provisions have been made to look into the plight of the rural Indians in the estates and those who have been displaced.

Therefore, it is very heartening to note that the prime minister is personally spearheading a Special Task Group to look into poor educational levels, bad living conditions and badly needed public amenities among this particular group of people from the Indian community.

Many years of damage and neglect require very concerted and dedicated efforts to implement the various planned projects and to really see the improvements taking place.

With the prime minister being in the driver's seat to see it through, it really gives a lot of confidence and it also goes to show the government's real intention to address this issue with urgency.

There have been similar projects earmarked in the past to eradicate poverty. However, this particular matter has not been properly identified and given due attention as one of the main issues affecting our country.

If there is lack of serious focus and proper planning, it will just fade away into oblivion, resulting in the poor estate worker continuing to earn a miserable stipend. And those displaced estate workers and their families will see little hope of improving their lives.

Thus, they will feel lost and neglected in a strange environment where their educational and skill levels remain inadequate to meet the changes and demands of the labour market. Crime and drug abuse among these youths may also continue to be an outlet to release frustrations and anger towards society.

A very pertinent question comes to mind as to why the MIC, who is supposed to represent the Malaysian Indians, did not do anything good or commendable for the community to raise the standard of living and education?

Instead, what stands out as a sore thumb is the 'robbing' of the people’s money (the TM shares) and the decision to pay back peanuts in return (Maika). And on top of this, building a very questionable medical institution that is only affordable to the rich, while the poor man cannot dream of gaining admission, thus forcing them to pursue their medical studies in Indonesia and Russia.

MIC, in its present form, structure and style of management, is incapable of providing suitable help and support to its community and thus the MIC should not in any way be given the job of implementing the recommendations and projects of the prime minister's Special Task Force. The MIC has lost its trust and usefulness through its own avarice and deplorable behaviour.

Instead, we should appoint Indian professionals and NGOs who can be entrusted to ensure that the allocated funds are used for their intended purposes. There also has to be accountability and transparency in the way these highly prioritised tasks are carried out.

With proper impetus, dedication and execution, there is no reason why it should not succeed. But the prime minister has to monitor it closely to ensure it does not go off track.

The 10th Malaysia Plan contains a number of positive indicators to show that the government in general and the prime minister in particular are committed to nation-building and helping Malaysia’s poor people.