MIPP challenges Anwar to probe Mitra's refurbished laptop programme

Summary

• MIPP challenges Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to investigate the refurbished laptop assistance programme under Mitra.

• MIPP deputy president S Subramaniam claims the programme for Tamil schools is a ‘mystery’ that needs to be investigated for wasting RM3.26 million.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been challenged to investigate the refurbished laptop assistance programme under the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) in November 2023.

Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP) deputy president S Subramaniam claimed the special programme for Tamil schools was a “mystery” and needed to be investigated for wasting an allocation of RM3.26 million.

“It’s been more than two years. Not a single school has used these laptops, even for school use. Strange, isn’t it? Never used.

“I challenge the prime minister to set up an independent committee to investigate this laptop assistance programme,” he told Malaysiakini.

Subramaniam (above) said Anwar has positioned himself as a prime minister who rejects abuse of power and corruption, but this issue has occurred right under his nose as Mitra was moved back under the Prime Minister’s Department (PMD) last year.

“He (Anwar) can’t remain silent just because it involves his own party leaders.

“I have raised this issue before, but there was no response from Mitra.

“So this time I am asking the prime minister to investigate. He can send his officers to the schools to investigate,” he said.

Laptops unusable

The Mitra special committee chairperson is P Prabakaran, who is both the Batu MP and a PKR member.

The refurbished laptop assistance programme has been criticised since its launch after several schools reported that the laptops provided could not be used for the learning and teaching system.

Based on Mitra’s proposal paper sighted by Malaysiakini, RM3 million was provided for 6,000 refurbished laptops of various brands.

This allocation does not include the RM263,500 shipping cost for 527 Tamil schools nationwide.

At the time, parents and teachers complained that the laptops received had to be sent for repair just a few weeks after receiving them.

However, Mitra responded by defending the programme.

Disagreement

The programme was launched under Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister R Ramanan, who is also the chairperson of the special task force that oversaw Mitra from April 2023 to February 2024.

Segamat MP R Yuneswaran, Senator Sivarraajh Chandran and Klang MP V Ganabatirau, who were members of the special task force at that time, said they expressed their disagreement with the proposal to buy refurbished laptops in the first meeting.

However, the trio said the decision to provide refurbished laptops was taken in the second meeting, which they were unable to attend.

Earlier, Malaysiakini’s check at more than 10 schools in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang and Johor confirmed that the laptops could not be used.

“They really can’t be used. They do not support the learning and teaching system. We also cannot download Excel, Microsoft Word and so on.

“You have to understand. These programmes are the basis for primary school students to know about computers.

“If the laptops provided by Mitra cannot support these programmes, we cannot use them in schools,” said a chairperson of a Parent-Teacher Association, without revealing their name.

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