Saturday, November 27, 2010

Mobilizing Volunteers to ensure Indian participation in the Azam program

Volunteers at the Workshop
Sixty volunteers from the six Program Mesra Rakyat districts gathered to hear a briefing from four federal government officers on the Azam program.

This program which was held on Nov 28, 2010 was a very effective program as the Azam program is one of the National Key Result Areas targeting the bottom 40% and low income families. It is coordinated by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development. This Ministry has agreed to assist SITF channel all its applicants for welfare grants who have been rejected by the Department of Social Welfare into this program.

Currently SITF has a name list of about 1,412 names from among the people who registered with us for assistance. All these cases have been reviewed by the Department of Social Welfare and are not eligible for welfare assistance.

Social Welfare Needs

Mr Inau Edin Nom in his presentation indicated that welfare assistance is not a matter of right but based on eligibility. He informed that the Department officers have interviwed, visited and reviewed 1,884 out of the total 2,231 cases. Of these 483 cases have been approved and another 193 are confirmed as ones already receiving welfare assistance. It is the remaining numbers from the welfare list and aother set from e-kasih registration that is of concern as we want to reach them and provide some options to them.

Mr Inau Edin Norm, Deputy DG, Dept of Social Welfare
Every applicant has to be assessed if they are eligible and if they are productive ie employable or non productive in terms of unable to provide for themselves or if there is no family member who has the financial means to assist. Unfortunately there are many people who are thinking that this welfare assistance is a matter of right and is like a pension.

He cited a number of reasons why applications are rejected:-
·        They do not meet the income limit of below RM 750 for household income
·        They are still in the productive working age and therefore should actively seek employment
·        They have family members who have income ability to support
·        They might be receiving another welfare assistance or support including Sosco

The urgent task of the volunteers is to visit all the homes and encourage them to participate in one of the four Azam programs which is organized by the Federal government.

Introducing the Azam Program

Mr Ahmad Tarmidi from the NKRA of the Ministry highlighted the four special programs catering for the low income households. All these provide assistance to the low income to generate income. In this approach the focus is not on a short term grants but building the potential through self employment or micro business:-

  • Azam Niaga (on micro business)
  • Azam Tani (on agricultural projects)
  • Azam Kerja (on securing a job & training)
  • 
    Mr Amad Tarmidi from NKRA Azam Program
    
  • Azam Khidmat (on service sector)

All volunteers were also given forms which they can use to ascertain the choice of the people and then channel it to one of the four areas for agency action and implementation through SITF and the NKRA team.

Introducing Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM)

Mr Rosli Abdul from AIM introduced the AIM approach of group formation and micro business loans. He provided details on the requirements and cited many cases of successful Indian women whose income rose from about RM400 to RM500 to over RM 2,000 over the past few through their active participation in the AIM micro finance program.

Introducing Job’s Malaysia

Mr Rahmat Ismail of Job’s Malaysia highlighted the job’s portal and the employment matching process including enlisting those registered for interviews and job placement. He highlighted that one of the major challenges they face. He said, “there are enough jobs and employers are searching for workers but the potential workers especially from this target group has an attitude issues. Mindset of the people is an issue”. He gave examples of how people do not turn up for secured jobs after securing it though an interview process via Job’s Malaysia.

Urgent Task Ahead

At this workshop which was held in KL also present was Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, Dato Siva Subramanian & Mr SP Manivasagam. It was indeed fruitful and the volunteers agreed to reach out to the target group within three weeks.

Some of the particpants at the Workshop
SITF officers both Premala and Thana provided an overview strategy and introduction to the forms to be utilized during the door to door home visits by the volunteer teams at the six districts. We have set a target of Dec 17, 2010 by which the volunteer teams would have visited the identified families in need and provide a summary list to SITF and NKRA team.

This exercise is not just a micro service exercise. It serves as a pilot study on how volunteers from both political parties and civil society can be mobilised to complement the efforts of the federal government agencies.
In the long run we aim to strengthen the confidence of the community to access directly these services. At the same time we want to build the capacity of the government agencies to be more sensitive to the needs of the Indian community at the bottom 40% of the socio-economic ladder, thereby ensuring a sustainable institutional mechanism.

Friday, November 26, 2010

India offers scholarship to students under GCSS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 26 — The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is offering one scholarship to Malaysian students to pursue studies in India under the General Cultural Scholarship Scheme (GCSS).

In a statement today, the Indian High Commission here said it was open for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees or to pursue research at Indian universities during the commencement of the 2011-12 academic year.
It, however, said scholarship for medical studies for MBBS, BDS or for medical research leading to a Ph.D. degree was not offered under the GCSS.

Priority will be given to students who have never studied in India before.
The GCSS application form can be downloaded from the Indian High Commission’s website (http://www.indianhighcommission.com.my/).

The GCSS form can also be requested from the Education Wing, High Commission of India, at No: 2, Jalan Taman Duta, off Jalan Duta, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, (Telefax: 03-20922339; Tel: 03-20933510, ext 410).
The last date of receipt of application by the high commission is February 7, next year. — Bernama

Thursday, November 25, 2010

SITF Dialogue at the Cooperative Commission

SITF hosted a dialogue session at the Cooperative Commission (SKM) on November 25, 2010 from 2.30pm. About 60 people participated. They were representatives of cooperatives and business associations located in the Klang valley. With the assistance of Bank Negara team this was made possible.

En Ahmad Zainal, Director of Policy and Development Planning Division of the Cooperative Commission gave the welcoming words. He said that a cooperative is different from an association. In the case of cooperatives they can carry out both the functions of undertaking business as well as fulfill the social functions of like an association. However an association registration restricts them from doing business. This potential of the cooperatives could be tapped for the socio-economic development of the poor sections of the Malaysian Indian community

The program was divided into two parts.:-

The first was three presenters from SKM on how to register a cooperative, what grants are available from SKM and what loans available for undertaking business.

The second was the briefing on micro loans, below RM50, 000 available from three development financial institutions such as Agro bank, BSN and Bank Rakyat. In addition the representative from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government spoke on business licenses.

Lessons from the Dialogues

Firstly, the potential of the cooperatives have not been fully explored by the community as a vehicle for community empowerment. This potential for taking greater initiative in a self help approach is imperative. In the past due to the failure of some of the Indian lead cooperatives, many within the Indian community have be put off by this approach. However on hearing the various presentations made by SKM, it is now of utmost importance that this vehicle for socio-economic transformation be promoted and utilized.

Secondly, the three presentations from SKM clearly reveal that the Federal Government has put into place many policies, programs, services and grants for the promotion and development of cooperatives. This is an effective mechanism for people empowerment in the socio-economic sense. Therefore organizing people into smaller groups at various parts of the country might be a way forward as there needs to be only 50 people to form a cooperative. Local communities could organize themselves in this way in small units and tap the self potential rather than looking for hand-outs. In this context SKM resources could be utilized for this purpose especially in awareness, capacity building and leadership development.

Third, the question-answer session was indeed revealing as it indicated that many of the Indian cooperative and business leaders did not know of the services and schemes available such as grants and loans through SKM. There is a need for a better system of dissemination of basic information on government provisions and programs. At the same time the community must also take the initiative to make themselves aware. It must also come from the community.

Follow Up measure

SITF will host a follow up meeting with a number of the Indian cooperatives to launch a combined campaign in the promotion of cooperatives as a vehicle for people organizing and mobilization for socio-economic development.

Creating Greater Access for Micro Loans


One of the major complaints from the Indian community is that the Indian business community especially the small and micro business people find it difficult to secure loans to start or enlarge their business

While the Federal government has opened up opportunities through Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia and Yayasan Tekun for the micro players in Indian community, the total outreach is still small. Therefore SITF explored the opportunity to enlarge these through various discussions with the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank.

A number of initiatives were organized in this context:-

Roundtable Discussion on Access to Micro Credit

The SITF Chairman, Datuk Dr Subramaniam Chaired a Roundtable Discussion on Oct 29, 2010 which was attended by a number of banks, development finance institutions and representatives of the Indian community from SITF, Chambers and business associations.

Representatives of Bank Agro, CIMB, Bank Rakyat, BSN and Bank Negara shared on available micro credit programs. The community representatives highlighted the difficulties faced by the community in accessing them. The Financial institutions emphasized that the potential borrowers must fulfill their requirements.

The issue is are Indians being discriminated because of their ethnicity or because many of the potential micro business people are not prepared with basic ability to prepare a business plan or possess the basic requirement such as business license, bank account, tax returns to show cash flow.

In addition credit track record and credit history is another major factor as many could have been black listed. Non payment or delayed payment of phone bills and utility bills might also be used to verify credit track record.

It was felt that in addition to access to credit through financial institutions, social preparation or brining the informal micro Indian business person into a state of economic preparedness is most essential.

Discussions with Bank Negara

Two meetings were held at Bank Negara by way of following up matters discussed at the RTD. These meetings were chaired by Mr Thomas Tan from the Development Finance Enterprise Department and held on Nov 4 and Nov 11, 2010

Through these discussions it became clear that the community:

  • Must work closely with the following financial development institutions to ensure greater access for micro business people.
  • Must access Agro Bank, BSN and Bank Rakayat’s micro finance program of financing up to RM50, 000. This is one such initiative the community must tap to enlarge its opportunities.
  • Must explore the potential of the Cooperatives as a vehicle for socio-economic transformation.
  • Must forge a clearer working relationship with the Ministry of Housing & Local Government in securing business licenses for micro business which is one criteria for loans

Dialogue with Cooperative Commission of Malaysia (SKM)

A special dialogue was held on Nov 25, 2010 with SKM, Cooperatives in the Klang valley run by the Indian community & Indian business associations. Through this program it was felt that the potential of cooperatives and the resources available must be tapped by the community. Also present were representatives of Agro Bank, BSN and Bank Rakyat

Micro Loans Meet the People Session

With the cooperation of Bank Negara, Agro Bank, BSN & Bank Rakayat,, SITF will organize a meet the people session on December 18, 2010 at Perai. We are targeting a minimum of 100 potential borrowers who will attend the briefing and then meet the financial institutions and make an applicat.ion for a micro loan below RM50, 000

SITF has the full support of Bank Negara in undertaking this pilot study and project to really determine the true nature of the problem of access to credit which is the frequent complaint of the community.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

SITF & Federal Agency Officials - A smart partnership

Dato Siva, Dato Salleh, Dato Ghani and Datuk Denison
One of the major breakthroughs experienced by SITF since its establishment is the cooperation and joint action it has secured with Federal agencies. When the Prime Minister established SITF he directed the Secretary for the Government to appoint senior Federal officers at the Deputy Secretary General or Deputy Director General level to be permanent members of the Taskforce. In this context thirteen federal ministry officials were appointed.

SITF has had various meeting as a full group in June and July. Subsequently we have been working in focus groups with specific regards to respective agency areas and also Roundtable Discussions on a number of critical areas requiring policy review and intervention. In addition SITF cooperation with district level agencies is most significant.

Delivery issues at the district level

At the district level that we have come to realise that they are major issues and concerns with regards to delivery and implementation which requires urgent intervention. It is at the district level that ordinary people are interacting with the government. They come face to face with specific request and needs. Font desk and counter service becomes most essential and many have difficulties to access these services.

Some frequent complaints are communication problems. While we agree that the national language is widely spoke and is no longer a problem even for minority communities however among the bottom 40% of our society and among the older generation they are more comfortable with Tamil speaking officers or officers who are culturally very sensitive to their needs and concerns. Another major hurdle is access to actual location to the office and the bureaucracy whom the poor and low income sees as a barrier to access to services.

New Initiatives

It is in this context, the Chairman of SITF, Datuk Dr Subramanian initiated the Program Mesra Rakyat which is a program at the community level where the agencies come to meet the people. While these kinds of program have been organized in the past, however through SITF for the first time a large number of Federal agencies have come together to meet the Indian community.

The major service providers with SITF are:-

  • Social Welfare Department (Welfare assistance)
  • Registration Department (documentation on citizenship)
  • SOSCO (workers compensation)
  • Job’s Malaysia (employment opportunities
  • Yayasan Tekun (micro loans)
  • Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (micro loans)
  • Public Complaints Bureau (general complaints on agencies)
  • Youth & Sports Department (youth programs & skills training –IKBN)
  • Industrial Training Institute (ILP for skills training)
  • ICU (on poverty registration in e-kasih)
  • Community College (providing continuing education opportunities)
  • The Police also played an active role through displays and registration of Rakan Kop

In addition to the public event the real impact was in the monthly review meetings with the agencies. In five of the districts a number of district level agency meetings were held to review the output and impact of the program. The key focus was on solving the cases assigned to them. They provided a status report on their activities. We reviewed the data, struggles and set new targets.

The community leaders and volunteers dimension is also very important aspect. The monthly review meeting gave a good opportunity to touch base and review the situation. The local community leaders are then able to assist the agencies especially in seeking to contact them and also in address language communication issues.

Strengthening District delivery mechanism

One major focus in improving delivery and implementation is strengthening the interagency coordination at the district level. The monthly review meeting with SITF is developing into a permanent mechanism to ensure sustainability of the initiative.

The six districts have been adopted as a pilot project by SITF. In this context SITF will be hosting a Workshop on District level Case Management and Counseling from December 7 to 9, 2010 at the Institute Sosial Malaysia (ISM).

This program is sponsored by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development with the support of the National Counselors Accreditation Board and the Implementation Coordination Unit  (ICU) of the PM Department. We are expecting about 100 to 120 participants representing the various agencies from the Federal and district levels including community leaders from the six areas.

The findings and outcomes of this workshop will set the agenda and targets for the enlarging of outreach and extension of district level work in 2011.

Undocumented Malaysian Indians

Registration Department officials at Lunas, Kulim

One of the most complicated problems faced by a small section of Malaysian Indians is associated with documents which certify they were born here in Malaysia. The possession of an identification card provides access to education, employment, political rights and membership in Malaysian society. Not having a document can be deemed as being stateless and among the poorest of the poor as access and inclusion into mainstream society is restricted and limited.

A sizable number of Malaysian Indians face problems with securing their documents. The actual numbers is uncertain but it is clear that there is a sizable number of Malaysian Indians do not possess relevant documents which verify their actual status of whether they are citizens of Malaysia or not.

During the Program Mesra Rakyat, a total of 658 cases were received. Of this 40% had citizenship request, 27% had late birth registration concerns and 22.6% had problems in securing their identification cards. The remaining 10.2% had other issues pertaining to marriage registration and etc

Enclosed Table gives more details:-



Citizenship
IC
BC
Others
Total
Numbers
263
149
178
68
658
Percentage %
40.1
22.6
27.1
10.2
100


While we received 658 cases, we had only managed to solve 7.6% or 50 cases as at Nov 17, 2010.

One of the main reasons according to Dato Siva Subramaniam who is spearheading the Taskforce team seeking to find solutions, is the inability of individuals to provide the required documents to prove they are truly Malaysians. One has to take the historical aspect of displacement from plantations and their inability to trace the original documents or identify older generation who can act as witnesses.
Another major hurdle is the people themselves due to their mindset and lifestyle as they find it difficult to take time from their low paying jobs to devote attention in finding a solution. The bureaucracy is too much for them and therefore they tend to withdraw and their problems remain unresolved.

Recognising these major hurdles in solving the documentation issue SITF has undertaken the following measures:-

Policy Discussion

First, it hosted a special Roundtable Discussion on Citizenship and Documentation chaired by the SITF Chairman, Datuk Dr Subramaniam on Oct 18, 2010 where the various top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Registration Department together with community leaders discussed the major concerns. Among the issues discussed were matters which required policy intervention which the Minister will raise at the Cabinet and Cabinet committee levels. At the operational level the government officials agreed to enhance their efforts to solve the concerns among the Indian community.

The officials at Putrajaya and also at the district level have been very supportive. In the case of Program Mesra Rakyat, the district level officers were at all the six locations manning the booths and receiving the Indian cases and advising them in solving the documentation issues.

Follow Up Action

Second, SITF has been organizing smaller follow up programs namely - ‘My Daftar’ operations at a number of locations to assist the people in processing their applications. Local community leaders and volunteers will visit every applicant and advice them on the requirements and also facilitate a special program for submission to the Registration Department.

In this context Dato Siva Subramaniam together with officials of the Registration Department and local leaders organized two follow up programs at the Indian Settlement hall at Batang Berjuntai, Kuala Selangor. The first was on Oct 20, 2010 where 26 cases were reviewed and the second operations was held on Nov 24, 2010 were 42 cases were reviewed.

According to Dato Siva the recent operations was most successful as 23 cases were solved on the spot by the officials and they received the forms of all other 19 cases for review. One major reason for this change of events was SITF is now using local runners who will visit the home and advice the people of the documentation required. In addition the Department officials are now coming in a full team with photographer, commissioner of oath and their computers.

Future Operation ‘My Daftar’ dates

SITF has now set dates for similar My Daftar operations at the following places

  • Nov 26, 2010 at Buntung, Ipoh, Perak
  • Nov 29, 2010 at Sg Pelek, Sepang, Selangor
  • Dec 2, 2010 at Lunas, Kulim, Kedah
  • Dec 4, 2010 at Perai and Nibong Tebal, Penang

For more details of actual time and location please contact : Thana 016 295 7172

Voluntters & NGOs needed for ground intervention 


SITF recognizes that a section of the Indian community especially those at the bottom 40% have major issues with documentation and therefore it is imperative that we play a very supportive role in identifying the individuals and families who are stateless. In addition we need to assist them in filling the forms and helping them securing the basic supporting documentation.

In this context SITF welcomes volunteers and NGOs to volunteer their services by going to the ground. We must work together to address and arrest this problem once and for all. All Malaysian Indians must posses all the documentation necessary to enjoy their rights as Malaysian citizens and at the same time play their role in nation building. This will enhance their dignity and image.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Social Welfare applications during Program Mesra Raykat

Social Welfare booth at the Lunas, Kulim program
 People’s appeal to the Department of Social Welfare constitutes the highest number of cases totaling 2,236 or 45.2% of the total number of cases received. There seems to be lots of people who have difficulties in earning a living.
This is where case work undertaken to assess the socio-economic need of the family is of utmost importance. Overall we noticed that at all the six locations the Department of Social welfare officers worked very hard to ensure that on the day of the program there was sufficient staff present to review the cases. In addition the welfare officers made field visit to verify the oral interviews they did earlier.
Table 1 illustrates the analysis of the data available. A total of 577 or 25.8% of the cases were approved. These are all new cases with household income of below RM750.
Table 1 Total cases & status


Total cases
received
Already receiving welfare assistance<RM750       New cases approvedCases under investiga-tion & refered
IJOK
146
6
41
50
LUNAS
844
_
203
363
SG PELEK
357
41
80
36
PERAI
386
_
125
40
SG SIPUT
409
11
128
23
BATU ANAM
94
_
_
94
Totals
2236 (100%)
58
(2.6%)
577
(25.8%)
606
(27.1%)



However, a total of 995 cases were rejected as household income is higher than RM750 (see Table 2). SITF has secured the support of the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development to channel those whose income is between RM750 but below RM1,500 into the Azam program. Efforts are underway to review the database and explore how 465 or 20.8% of the cases will benefit from the four AZAM programs.

Table 2 Rejected Cases and alternatives



Total cases received
Total cases rejected >RM750 Cases bet
 RM750 - RM1500  to Azam
Rejected cases
> 1500
IJOK
146
49
35
14
LUNAS
844
278
88
190
SG PELEK
357
200
84
116
PERAI
386
221
60
161
SG SIPUT
409
247
198
49
BATU ANAM
94
_
_
_
Totals
2236 (100%)
995
(44.5%)
465
(20.8%)
530
(23.7%)



Social welfare officers processing cases at Lunas, Kulim
It is indeed commendable that social welfare officers devoted much time in the review of the cases. This is still an on going exercise as there are another 606 or 27.1% to be verified. We notice that there are lots of elderly people who strongly feel that they should receive some form of welfare grant from the state


At the heart of the issue is, how do we empower people to earn more? One key way is to improve their skills levels. Another is through micro business and provision of micro loans. However in the case of the elderly poor there are many cases where family especially children do not seem to assist their elder parents.
We also noticed there were people within the productive employable age who too have resigned to the fact that they would become mere welfare recipients rather being active in wealth creation.
Greater awareness to the Azam programs such as for employment, service, small business and agriculture will creat a new spirit and interest for self help and self reliance. Social preparation, mindset change, peer group support and a supporting hand will enable the community among the poor and low income find a new deal.
Recently the SITF Chairman requested the secretariat to organize a specific awareness & training program on Azam for volunteers from the districts. The objective here is to organize door to door visits to the cases which are channeled to Azam in order to make an assessment, which of the four current Azam programs would best suite their interest. An attempt will also be made to review the rejected cases who are said to have incomes above RM1,500.
Therefore on Saturday Nov 27, 2010 volunteers from the six neighborhoods will come to KL to be oriented by an officer from the Ministry for women and family development on Azam and an officer from the Department of social welfare on the schemes and eligibility criteria. These volunteers will work with the agency officers to direct them towards a suitable Azam program. SITF will continue to monitor the outcome.