The MIC will submit its 12 recommendations on the Indian community's "Agenda for Development" to the government before the end of this month for inclusion in the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), party president Seri S Samy Vellu said today.

He said the recommendations would be discussed at a special MIC central working committee (CWC) meeting on Thursday.

Samy Vellu said the recommendations were drafted by the MIC with the cooperation of 75 Indian-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and University Malaya's ethnic studies department.

"We have prepared a comprehensive report that took us more than three months," he told reporters before handing out cheques to 825 Tamil school students who obtained seven As in last year's Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination, here.

He said the recommendations, among others, included special initiatives for Indians in education, economic, training, housing, employment and women's affairs.

Samy Vellu said it was the first time that the MIC had sought the views and proposals of many NGOs and an institution of higher learning to prepare its recommendations.

"Before this, the recommendations (for the Malaysia Plans) were drafted by experts and academicians roped in by the MIC but this time we wanted the ordinary people to give their input and feedback through the NGOs," he said.

Samy Vellu said he hoped that the government would study the party's recommendations and make the necessary adjustments to the 10MP, which was expected to be tabled in parliament in June.

MIC 'on the right track'

On the MIC's rejuvenation exercise, Samy Vellu said the results had been "very positive", with more Indians seeking the assistance of the party for various problems.

"We now get between 100 and 200 people coming to the MIC headquarters daily to seek our help, and if this is to be used as a yardstick to gauge the support of the Indians for the MIC, then we are on the right track," he said.

Samy Vellu said that with more Indians seeking the party's assistance, he had decided to reintroduce his weekly meet-the-people session every Tuesday at the MIC headquarters beginning next month.

He also said that the party had launched the "people first programme" in all its 3,600 branches nationwide where at least one major programme involving the community has to be carried out by the branches every month.

"We have started to monitor the branches and soon we will be evaluating them through a high-level score card, key performance indicators and star ratings," he added.

- Bernama