(AFP) The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), part of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, today urged that Indians be allocated "at least a 10 percent" quota in public universities.

Delegates to the MIC annual meeting also called for the establishment of a national unit trust fund to help achieve the official goal of doubling Indians' corporate stake to three percent in the next 10 years.

The delegates, meeting in the southern city of Johor Baru, also urged a minimum wage for rubber plantation workers, efforts to eradicate urban poverty and more jobs for Indians in the public sector.

They urged the government to provide opportunities for Indians in small and medium-size businesses.

Under a 30-year-old affirmative action programme Malays and other indigenous races - collectively known as bumiputras - get economic, educational and other privileges to help them narrow the wealth gap with the Chinese.

Bumiputras make up 64 percent of the population and Chinese 25 percent.

Poverty and gangsterism

Indians, who make up eight percent of the population but face continuing problems of poverty and gangsterism, get no special help.

But the government, in its latest development plan, committed itself to trying to double the Indians' corporate stake.

The community's plight was highlighted when ethnic clashes broke out in March between Malays and Indians in a run-down, partly squatter district near Kuala Lumpur.

Analysts said poverty and poor housing were partly to blame for the tensions.

According to a senior education ministry official quoted this month, state universities already reserve 10 percent of places for Indians, 35 percent for Chinese and 55 percent for bumiputras.

But Samy Vellu, the head of the 548,000-member MIC, said Indians were failing to get places because of poor examination results.

"We only get a handful of Malaysian Indian students getting all As (in national examinations) ... I think it was about 15 students this year. We need more students getting excellent results," Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

Promote Indians in public service

Samy also urged the government to promote Indians in the police and armed forces, saying some have held the same rank for more than 10 years.

He said this was one of the reasons that discouraged Indians from joining the police and army. The forces are overwhelmingly Malay.

"There is also the mentality among Indians that they will not be successful in getting jobs in the government service so they don't apply for any vacancies in the civil sector," Samy Vellu said.

"Only when the government shows its seriousness in employing other races will Malaysian Indians turn to the civil sector for employment."

Malaysian Indians tend to support the MIC and the National Front but one delegate said the party should not take them for granted.

"Something should be done fast to arrest the decline in support for the BN, especially from Indians," said C Krishnan.