MAP seeks king's help for oppressed Indians in 13th M'sia plan

Summary

• Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) secretary-general Balamurali Govindasamy says a memorandum will be submitted to the palace on Thursday.

• MAP president P Waythamoorthy says the 13th Malaysia Plan must address the Indian Malaysian community.

• The party is appealing to the king to mention this in his speech at the next Parliament session.

The Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) will submit a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar on challenges faced by Indian Malaysians, which the party asserts has been marginalised.

MAP secretary-general Balamurali Govindasamy said the memorandum would be presented to the palace on Thursday.

“This appeal is made solely to request His Majesty’s mercy and attention to the plight of the increasingly marginalised Indian community,” he told Malaysiakini.

While declining to provide further details, Balamurali confirmed that a formal letter had been hand-delivered to notify the palace about the upcoming memorandum.

Economic plan for Indians

He said MAP has consistently advocated for the inclusion of the Indian Malaysian community in national development plans.

The party has called for the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) to feature a specifically tailored economic programme to address the community’s unique challenges.

In a TikTok video shared with Malaysiakini, MAP president P Waythamoorthy explained that in the memorandum, the party is appealing to the Agong to raise the matter during his speech when officiating the Parliament session on Feb 14.

“We are appealing to His Majesty to mention in his speech that the government should formulate an economic plan for the marginalised Indian Malaysian community in 13MP,” he said.

PM’s promise

In his Ponggal greeting to the Indian Malaysian community last week, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his administration would strive to ensure no community is left behind.

“On the government side, we will continue to work hard so that no group or community is marginalised, especially the Indian community,” he added.

The prime minister also stressed that eradicating poverty among the Indian Malaysian community will continue to be the government’s priority.

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