Indians have done well, says Samy

Monday December 10, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Indians have achieved progress in various fields over the last 50 years, although more needs to be done to make them competitive in the face of globalisation, said MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

He said more than 80% of them were concentrated in urban areas compared to 60% that previously lived and worked in the estates.

“This migration has provided better income for the Indian families,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Samy Vellu said 847,900 Indians were in the workforce currently, 11.5% of them professionals and managers, 19.4% associated professors, lecturers and nurses, 22.9% in sales, 4.9% in agriculture, 9.4% in craft and trade, 20.1% of them machine operators and 16.3% elementary workers.

He said about 2.9% of Indian households were below the poverty line but the mean monthly household income of Indian families was RM3,456, compared to the national figure of RM3,022.

He said 46,054 Indians were employed in the public sector with another 3,642 in the police force.

Samy Vellu said MIC was now focusing on getting more Indians employed in the civil service as well as promotion prospects for those already in the service.

On the participation of Indians in the economy, Samy Vellu said there was a slow increase in the present 1.2% ownership of share capital of limited companies because many Indians believed in investing in property and not the share market.

He said MIC had obtained micro-credit business loans for 4,000 Indian businessmen over the past few years through Bank Negara and financial institutions.

“We have also assisted in getting business licences,” he said.

Samy Vellu said the Government provided business-training programmes to Indian youths through the National Entrepreneur Skills institute while RM3mil has been allocated for business loans for Indians through the Tekun foundation.

On MIC’s part, the party set up the Tafe College in Seremban that has produced more than 40,000 para professionals and the RM600mil Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST) University in Semeling, Kedah.

Samy Vellu said the educational arm of the MIC, the Maju Institute of Educational Development, has to-date disbursed close to RM100mil in study loans to about 17,000 Indian students.