When the new MITRA chairman, P. Prabakaran, proudly announced that RM652,000 had been disbursed to 128 Indian micro-entrepreneurs in Johor, many in the Indian community were left speechless.
Not because we were impressed.
But because we were doing the math with one hand, and rubbing our temples with the other.
That’s 0.652% of the RM100 million allocation for Indian upliftment.
At this rate, we’ll finish disbursing the full budget by the year 2186, assuming MITRA gets a coffee break every 5 years.
From MITRA to “Later Lah”
Let’s be clear. The ‘T’ in MITRA was supposed to stand for Transformation, not Tunggu Dulu.
We were promised a reboot. A fresh start. A youth MP with energy, idealism, and maybe even Wi-Fi speed-level efficiency.
Instead, we got something between a government committee meeting and a ‘how to write a proposal’ workshop.
128 entrepreneurs helped and only in Johor? What happened to Selangor? Penang? Negeri Sembilan? Did their applications get lost in the same black hole where Astro Tamil serial logic goes?
“Leadership Instability” A.K.A. The Default Blame Button
Prabakaran said the problem is leadership instability. That MITRA was already broken when he came in.
Yes, and I was already tired when I joined the gym doesn’t mean I sit at the smoothie bar for 18 months rewriting my fitness plan.
He’s had more than 500 days in the role. That’s enough time to visit every Tamil school, small business, and Indian temple twice, with time to stop for thosai.
Rewriting the blueprint isn’t the issue but when you haven’t even laid the porch, people start to wonder if you're really an architect or just another wannabe. Not even a motivational speaker, frankly judging by your interviews, you just talk. Maybe you're aiming to be a social media influencer instead?
Community Engagement: Where? How? With Who?
Let’s talk about that Johor event. Out of the entire country, only 128 people received support. That’s fewer people than an average Klang wedding guestlist.
Is MITRA running a pilot project or a secret society?
And where’s the outreach? Are there posters in estates? Tamil radio ads? TikTok explainers with aunties doing cooking challenges and grant tutorials at the same time?
Don’t just sit in a conference room refreshing your spreadsheet. Get out there. Talk to people. Not everyone has a laptop, internet, and the patience to decode government forms written in “Legalese BM with Bonus Typo English”.
MITRA or Netflix? Because We’re Still Waiting for the Next Episode
MITRA is starting to feel like a badly written drama:
- Episode 1: “New Chairman Announced”
- Episode 2: “We Found RM100 Million”
- Episode 3: “Still Working on the Strategy”
- Episode 4: “It Was the Last Guy’s Fault”
- Coming Soon: “Please Stay Tuned. In the Meantime, Enjoy This Symbolic Event in Johor.”
Netflix gives us new episodes every week. MITRA gives us one press release every 6 months and a debate about whose fault it is.
No cliffhanger, just community hanger.
Let’s Be Honest We Don’t Want Excuses. We Want Results.
Every time the community hears “We are reviewing the plan,” we quietly sigh and check our wallets. Again.
We’ve heard it all:
- “The system is complex.”
- “We inherited problems.”
- “We’re working behind the scenes.”
You know who else works behind the scenes? Santa Claus. But at least he delivers something once a year.
RM652,000 Is Not Nothing But It’s Not Enough
To be fair, the RM652,000 given out in Johor is real aid. It’s something. For those 128 entrepreneurs, it means tools, equipment, maybe hope.
But to a wider Indian community of hundreds of thousands, it’s a loud reminder that 99.35% of the money is still in the bank, waiting for PowerPoint presentations to finish.
If Prabakaran or MITRA can’t build public trust, no amount of strategy documents will fix it.
A Word From Your Friendly Community
Here’s a message lovingly typed in Arial Bold from the thousands watching all this unfold:
“Dear Praba,
We love a good underdog story.
But you’re not in a college debate now.
This is real life.
If you can’t disburse, then at least disclose.
If you can’t engage, then at least explain.
If you can’t transform, then let someone else try.
Sincerely,
The people who voted, hoped, and are now slightly hungry.”
Final Thought: Don’t Let MITRA Become a Meme
This community has waited decades for real empowerment not ceremonial photos with big cardboard cheques and flower garlands.
If Prabakaran wants to prove that young leadership works, this is the time.
Otherwise, we’ll all be sitting here next year, writing headlines like:
Annan Vaithegi - Writing in solidarity with the Indian diaspora
Annan Vaithegi (annanvaithegi@icloud.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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