MIC President S Samy Vellu ( left ) came under increased pressure from opposition leader Lim Kit Siang ( right ) today with the latter raising more questions as to how the Indian Malaysian community has become the country's "underclass".

"What is the use of being the most senior and longest-serving cabinet minister (Samy Vellu is the works minister) if the price Indians Malaysians have to pay is to become 'The Indian Underclass'," asked Lim in a statement.

Following Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's retirement on Oct 31, Samy Vellu will become the most senior cabinet minister. He was first appointed works minister on Oct 21, 1979.

On Monday, Lim had asked what Samy Vellu has achieved for the community after being in power for more than 20 years.

The DAP chairperson said that, under Samy Vellu's leadership, the community has also become the country's new "criminal class".

'Colossal failure'

In today's statement, Lim asked Samy Vellu to explain the dwindling Indian ratio in the public sector.

Said Lim: "On Monday, parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister's Department, Kamsiyah Yeop, gave Parliament another shocking statistic illustrating the plight of the Indians in Malaysia as an 'underclass'.

"...(She) revealed that the Indian ratio in the public service has plunged from 9.8 percent in 1980 to 5.2 percent currently. This means that during the 24-year tenure of Samy Vellu as the sole Indian cabinet minister, the Indian ratio in the civil service has almost halved."

Lim said the reduction in the number of Indians in the civil service is lower than the targeted figure in the New Economic Policy (NEP) as well as all declared government targets in the various five-year development plans.

He said the latest figure indicated the "colossal failure of the government to restructure the civil service to reflect fairly the racial composition of the population".

"What is completely unforgivable is that the sharp plunge of Indian ratio in the public service is completely against the Second Outline Perspective Plan (OPP) which was approved by Parliament in June 1991." ( See chart )

Lonely at the top

Lim also said Samy Vellu must answer why there are no Indian Malaysians at the higher levels of the civil service.

"There is currently one Indian serving as a secretary-general in a ministry, but who is he and in which ministry?" asked Lim cryptically.

"When the overwhelming majority of Indian Malaysian, and not just the overall population, are unaware of the answer - something is very wrong with nation-building 46 years after Independence.

"(There is also something wrong with) the restructuring prong of the NEP, National Development Policy and the three OPPs to ensure that the civil service reflects fairly the racial composition of the population."

Editor : The answer to Lim's question is: P Manogran, secretary-general of the National Unity and Social Development Ministry.