The prime minister has announced a 30-year transformation plan – TN50; which will propel the nation’s direction towards globalisation via a new canvas. The PM hopes to make this a success by empowering youths through the Youth and Sports Ministry.

My only concern is – inclusivity.

Voicing as a socialist from the minority, there is nothing that I could worry more.

Indian Malaysians who make up the most out of the Bottom 40 (B40) group are struggling even harder to make ends meet these days due to price hikes and stagnant salaries. Our younger generations who have faired well in their studies are still denied the courses and public universities of their choices due to invisible quota placing.

My upcoming young adults still do not see hope of employment in the public sector although being highly qualified compared to their Malay and Chinese counterparts. Our well-established contractors still do not get first-hand contracts from government-linked companies (GLCs).

The Tamil schools that have been built to preserve and nurture our language and culture are still to see full funding from the government; our dropouts are not addressed by the Education Ministry, our students are bullied and face physical and verbal abuses from teachers. Our temples are destroyed for petty reasons without considering sentiments and respect.

We see no fair jurisdiction when it involves us and other races. Sixty years of independence and we still do not even have a separate TV channel in the national media.

And recently, our deputy prime minister (DPM) has announced that there will be no concessions for Indians without identity cards – why? We are who we are today because of the contribution from all the races in this country, why discriminate and complicate when it comes to granting the rights they deserve, some are struggling to get a blue card since 1957, what is stopping you from granting them one?

Bangladeshis and Indonesians are having MyKad, Myanmars will even be granted benefit-plus cards to allow their children in local schools, and here we still have stateless Hindu children coming from families who have been here from the past four generations; denied schooling due to lack of documents.

Why is there even a single stateless Indian Malaysian in this country in this era? There is no incentive that can be granted to solve this at once? Really?

All the above were to be fixed before we complete 2020 and now there is already TN50. Come what may, but our problems remain the same. How are we to progress as a nation when one of the races is still so much backward and is facing endless inequality and discrimination?

And then I read that MIC president Dr S Subramaniam had urged youths to participate in cultural activities, sports and to participate in e-commerce (selling muruku online) in his speech at the 60th anniversary celebration of the Malaysian Tamil Youth Bell Club (KKBT) two days ago.

The celebration was launched by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and was attended by Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar Mohamad Hasan, Dewan Negara president SA Vigneswaran, MyPPP president M Kayveas, former MIC president S Samy Vellu, Gerakan vice-president A Kohilan Pillay and KKBT president K Murali.

Why not address issues before first draft for TN50 completed?

In the presence of the PM and so many other policymakers, this is all that has been said? Can’t demands be placed to solve all these issues before the first draft for TN50 is completed by the beginning of 2019? Why not address these issues in front of our upcoming leaders to make them aware of what awaits them when they take over MIC?

Why not tell them –

1. You cannot go far with a nine-to-five job with the current state of the economy, no matter how difficult it is, save and invest in properties or businesses. Create passive income via reliable resources. Embark on an entrepreneurial journey, sell and offer something unique, be pioneers, collaborate and partner up with giant brands.

Your personal aim, at least one proper house and business for each family before 2019. Save for each child born in the family, save for his/her education, invest the moment they are born to guarantee their financial security as they grow.

2. If you are keen to save SJKT, come up with your own fund; create a RM10 per Indian per month system for SJKTs and use the fund to run SJKTs in this country, the education system cannot wait for federal funding which is taking too long to even approve an allocation for assembly hall construction.

SJKTs alumni and SJKT Headmasters Association, what are you waiting for? Urge full participation of parents in the parent-teacher associations (PTAs), be vocal against discrimination and dissatisfaction with school management and teachers; this is the internal audit. Create a body to look after school dropouts after Year Six, they are the ones prone to become involved in gangsterism, pick them up before it’s too late.

3. Preach and practice proper/respectable religious activities. Spread spiritual knowledge and enact policies to safeguard our temples.

None of the above was addressed by the national MIC leader but the pledge to support TN50 has been made. The pledge must be made with these conditions. Although you are a component party, remember that your existence is to protect and nurture our growth, not just to assist them in implementing their policies regardless of the plight we are facing. It’s a two-way mechanism.

And as a leader, when facing and addressing the youth, speak from your heart, tell them the truth although it might hurt your political positioning.

Tell them to be independent. Teach them the difference of supporting and relying on political parties. You may support your choice of leadership but it will not guarantee their support for your survival, to survive you cannot be relying on a system that is not consistent with its promises and outreach. To survive, be independent.

Great genuine visionary leaders find it hard to gather and address masses of youth and young adults; those leaders who can gather them through their network and political power, must play a bigger role with the opportunity given.

Since our blueprint is still in the making, will it be aligned with TN50? Please propose upgraded solutions that can fix our problems for once and for all. This is the only way you can stay relevant to our community.

There are so many Indian political parties in this country and yet, we are not able to lead and are always led by the directions that are set by others. If all of you had stayed united for our people, matters like the above could have been solved in a mere 24 months but now, some of the battles that we are fighting will be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Sigh.

TN50 is a great journey to embark on if inclusivity is established, otherwise, we cannot garner full support and contribution from all races in this country. The PM must solve fundamental issues before moving on a “new canvas” as he mentioned. No new beginnings can be achieved without fixing the basics.

S GOPINATH is president of the Malaysian Indian Network of Entrepreneurs Association (1MINE).