KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has approved an additional placement of 700 seats for Indian students to take up matriculation programmes in public institutions of higher learning.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced this here Saturday.
He earlier said that this was done to reverse the effects of previous policies that cause the intake of the community in public institutions to decline.
"The biggest losers of (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad's meritocracy policy were the Indians.
"From 7 per cent, the Indian intake in the public institutions fell to 4 per cent. This was a direct result in the change of policy during Dr Mahathir's time. Previously we had a quota policy that guaranteed Indians an intake of around 7.5 per cent.
"So to reverse the policy I chose to find ways to increase their qualifications and opportunities for them to enter the institutions. I (earlier) approved 1,500 places for Indian students under the matriculation programme."
"Today I want to announce that Cabinet has approved an increase in 700 places for Indians to take up matriculation," Najib said at the launching of the special investment scheme for the B40 Indian community in Lembah Pantai here today.
He hoped the increase in placement would help the community reach the targeted seven per cent intake for the community in public universities.
"This is my hope and not an empty promise. As a leader, I like to keep my promises, he added.
MIC president Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam said the community received more aid in the past eight years than in the two decades Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister
He said since 2010, the community has received RM1 billion in aid for Tamil schools. This is more than the total sum given in aid for Tamil schools in the 22 years that Dr Mahathir was a prime minister.
Subramaniam also took a dig at the former prime minister by saying that the leader who held his post for 22 years has just found a new inspiration to help the Indian community.
"I'd like to thank him for this after 22 years. He said that he would help Tamil schools. I want to ask him why he didn't do this in the 22 years he had power despite the efforts of MIC leaders," he asked.
Subramaniam said if the leader had empowered the community through education and socioeconomic aid when he held absolute power, the community would not be in the position that they are in today.
He said much of the issues faced by the Indians including the lack of placement in public universities and job opportunities in the civil service were due to legacy issues inherited from Tun Dr Mahathir's time.
"Najib (however) fights for Indian rights in the Cabinet along with me. Even the MyDaftar programme has granted birth certificates and identification to 8,000 Indians."
"He is correcting the mistakes of the leader's in the past.
"But during the other leader's (Dr Mahathir) time, applications for citizenship were been hampered by a reject first policy, then re-look the appeal later," he added.
Earlier, Najib had also launched an investment scheme for the Indians nationwide.
The scheme offers interest-free loans of RM5,000 to the community to invest in Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS1M).
It targets 100,000 Indians householders from the B40 group and RM500 million has been allocated for a five-year period.
This special scheme follows the launch of Amanah Saham 1Malaysia (AS1M) for the Indian community in January.