Thursday, February 24, 2011

Working Visit by YM Dato Raja Azahar, Deputy Secretary General Ministry of Home Affairs to PJ JPN Office


Dato Raja Azahar togther with community leaders at JPN-PJ

The Deputy Secretary General arrived at 11am to the Federal government building in New Town PJ on Feb 24, 2011 (Thursday). It is now five days into the ‘My daftar campaign’. PJ office has been very busy as the Petaling district covers a wider area and many Indians are residing here especially in low cost- high rise flats.


Mr Padma of Lembah Subang presenting a souvenir to Dato Raja
 Before Dato Raja Azahar entered the JPN building he was greeted by Lembah Subang community leader and residents who had come in two buses to make their submissions. The Selangor MIC has organized the bus as well as a commissioner of oath to certify many of the documents prior to their submission at JPN today.

During the course of his working visit and press conference Dato Raja Azahar said that he made this special effort to give moral support to JPN officers who have been hard at work and also have ground knowledge of the developments and issues. He acknowledged that JPN officers are playing an very important role in assisting the people.

In addition he acknowledged that a good feature of this campaign was the role played by political parties, voluntary and religious organisations. This he saw personally when he spoke to the people from Lembah Subang who had come to make their submissions

Dato Raja Azahar recognized that one of the major problems in the community is the lack of awareness among the poorer sections of the Indian community in ensuring that they secure the necessary documents. Citizenship documents are of utmost importance to ensure that ordinary people can exercise the citizenship rights and responsibilities.

He admitted that while the My daftar has brought to public light the documentation issues, however there is lots more work to be done to ensure that in the processing period the applicants fulfill all the basic requirements and secures supporting documents. He noted that in some cases this might be difficult and therefore on a case by case basic Putrajaya could review the applications.

Dato reviewing some files with JPN Selangor Director Tuan Hj Mustapaha
He also recognized that in the post campaign period and in order to strengthen the solving the cases, contract officers may need to be appointed. He added that the Taskforce could request the Federal government for addition funds to try and resolve all cases within this year. Some of the retired JPN officers could be recruited to assist in this process.

Also present were PM’s special Indian officer Datuk Ravin Ponniah, MIC Selangor Deputy Chairman Dato Gopalkrishan, MIC Selangor co ordinator Mr Siva Subramaniam and Taskforce secretary, Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Economic Development Programmes through SMEcorp

Munes, Jun, Premla, Denison, Meor & Mahdi at SMECorp (Feb 22, 2011)
SME Corp has come up with two very good products to support the business community.

  • One targets the micro business people called E2 –Enrichment & Enhancement Programme which are micro enterprises (MEs) registered with the Registration of Business Act, with less than RM 250,00 annual sales turn over and with less than 5 workers

  • The second targets SMEs which are bigger companies registered under the Companies Act (Sdn Bhd) with less that RM25 million annual sales and less than 150 workers in a programme called Business Accelerator Programme (BAP)
Visit to SMECorp

Yesterday Taskforce secretary Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria together Taskforce officer Puan Premla Ravin visted SME Corp and met up with Mr Mahdi Mohd Ariffin, Deputy CEO and Mrs Muneswari Munusamy, Manager and Mr Meor Shahril, Asst Manager. Also present was Ms Junaidah Yusof, DFED, Bank Negara.

According to Dr Denison, he said it was a fruitful discussion and we learnt a lot concerning the SMECorp’s two new products. Once again we found out Indian community’s awareness on these are limited and there is very little coordinated effort to expose the community to many of these initiatives.

This visit has enabled the Taskforce to secure the basic information and details for further dissemination and also to ensure increased Indian participation. Taskforce will organize a meeting for leaders from Indian business associations and with their cooperation facilitate awareness programmes on the ground.

The Taskforce will give special emphasis to assist the informal and micro business players on the ground as a majority of the MEs are people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder especially at the bottom 40%

Some interesting features of these programmes. There are 4 different aspects:-

  • Feature 1 - DIAGNOSTICS

When a person applies on to their online registration and provides basic information a visit is made by an SMR Corp officer. An assessment is made to note strengthens and shortcomings. The evaluator will also draw up a plan of action for the business person to address the short falls in order to strengthen their competitiveness.

  • Feature 2 – CAPACITY BUILDING

Based on the diagnostic tool used capacity building programmes will be recommended. SMEcorp has 40 approved training centres and the business person can enroll in any one of them. These can be skills based or awareness on branding.

  • Feature 3 – ADVISORY & TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Two types of services provided. A One Referral Centre (ORC) provides advisory services for start ups and also established businesses. There is also an SME Expert Advisory Panel (SEAP) on various fields. This counseling, advisory and technical support is very useful and helpful in molding and grooming Indian business. These have to be utilized.


  • Feature 4 – FACILITATING ACCESS TO FINANCING

SMEcorp provides both grants and soft loans. This aspect will be attractive. However the loans or grants are not automatic but based on Feature 1 –results of the diagnostic test.

For MEs soft loans and grants are available for below RM50, 000. Loans are at a 5% interest. For SME it is above RM50, 000 but below RM 500,000 at 4% interest rate. When a loan is approved then 40% of this could become a grant provided by the Federal government. The loans for MEs are administered by Bank Rakyat and the loans for SMEs by MIDF (Malaysian Industrial Development Finance)

Taskforce Role

The Taskforce will ensure that the information is disseminated and will call up the Indian business community at the micro –formal and informal together with the SME’s to plug into the system and take advantage of the programmes made available by the Federal government.

Local community response to My Daftar campaign

Tuan Haji Raham, Mr Padma and Ebenezer reviewing applications at Lembah Subang
The Lembah Subang local community leaders headed by Mr Padmanagan have been very busy in assisting residents in filling the JPN forms during this campaign period. This is a very good example of local leaders taking action in addressing local needs.

Mr Padma is a local MIC leader. He has been living in this neighbourhood for the past 10 years running a market stall with his wife. He seems to know every one especially the Indian community. It was he and his local committee that hosted a program on Feb 15, 2011 which was officiated by Datuk Dr Subramaniam, The Taskforce Chairman and Human Resources Ministry.

Mr Padma assisting Tuan Hj Rahaman at Lembah Subang
Mr Padma had earlier attended a training session on JPN form filling at the JPN office at PJ. He had gone and met the officer in charge and gathered all the forms needed. He sought the assistance of volunteers to fill the forms too.

Yesterday Feb 22, 2011 (Tuesday) he organized a gathering at the community hall and invited Tuan Hj Abdul Rahaman to come and review all the applications with the persons concerned. This is a very useful process as it saves time and ensures that when the people come and submit on Feb 24, 2011 (Thursday) they will be complete or at least near completion. Any major complication or difficulty is then cleared early and assistance sought especially for some leader to take an oath that he knows this individual concerned.

Tuan Hj Abdul Rahman the JPN officer in PJ has gone out of the way by coming after office hours to local community halls to meet people and explain to them the requirements and advice on how to fill the forms. He did this some time back with the community at Desa Mentari block 9 and 10.

Tuan Haj Rahaman's friendly approach wins 'hearts & minds' at Lembah Subang
Tuan Haji, tries to use the little Tamil he knows. He grew up in Bangsar and lived among Indians as his father worked in the railways. He has taken an extra mile. This exemplary service is bridging the gap between the people on the bottom and Putrajaya. Through his personal service he has enabled ordinary people feel at home and recognize that JPN and the Federal government cares for them.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Mass movement of Indians – not for protest but problem solving

On the first day at Maju Junction, KL (Feb 19)
- 1st day of My Daftar Campaign-

It is estimated that over 3, 418 people turned up on the first day of the “My daftar campaign”. JPN officers were available in 80 of their office centres this weekend. People were coming out in unbelievable numbers.

It can be said that this is a mass movement of Indians not to protest but resolve their grievances. We are also seeing large number of volunteers from a variety of organizations also responding to address this human need and right for documents and citizenship.

Maju Junction

People gathering outside JPN Maju Junction (Feb 19, 2011)
 At Maju Junction in Kuala Lumpur over a thousand people came on the first day of the campaign with a hope in their hearts that this time the Federal government which has undertaken this Nation wide campaign to identify and resolve the concerns of undocumented Malaysians.


A large number of people gathered inside Maju Junction (Feb 19, 2011)
As at 2.30pm on Feb 19, 2011, total of 606 cases were received at JPN, WP KL:-

  • BC application  :           136
  • IC applications :             82
  • Citizenship        :           388

At the Press Conference, Maju Junction (Feb 19, 2011)
Datuk Dr Subramaniam, Datuk Saravanan & Dato Devamani all visited JPN office at Maju Junction. They walked around the sixth floor of the Maju Junction JPN KL office and met the people, officers and volunteers.

During the press conference, the Minister highlighted that one major area is regarding citizenship. He narrated that during his ‘walk about’ there were many elderly in their 50s and 60s who are Red IC card holders seeking for a Blue IC cards. He also told that the Taskforce will review this matter of Red card holders and make specific recommendations to the Federal government.

The Minister also indicated to a media question that when Feb 26 comes which is the last day of the campaign it is in fact the beginning of Taskforce duties as we will seek to resolve them. Many of the cases are complicated as the people are unable to secure the supporting documents. He also said that the Taskforce is setting a 6 months timeframe to ensure the follow up strategies are effectively resolved.

At Maju Junction it was the coming together of an unbelievable number of people. They have come with hope and confidence. Therefore the Taskforce is really under pressure in ensuring a majority of registered cases will secure a favorable answer.

Friday, February 18, 2011

My Daftar campaign Begins Today Feb 19 (Sat) till Feb 26 (sat).



Local community leaders at Lembah Subang, PJ handing over a list of 90 local residents
without relvant documents to Taskforce Chair Datuk Dr Subramaniam on Feb 15, 2011  .
  The Campaign organized by the Taskforce (PM Dept) with the cooperation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Registration and Department of Information is a major National campaign organized by the Federal Government

It starts today on Feb 19 till 26, 2011. The Department of National Registration has provided utmost cooperation by opening up 80 offices in 9 states in Malaysia. This is the largest and comprehensive campaign organized so far.

This is a major effort to identify all the undocumented Malaysian Indians so that through this campaign they

  • Can be identified especially those with out birth certificates or identification cards
  • Can be assisted to fill the relevant forms
  • Can be assisted to secure supporting information and details on origin and birth
  • Can be successful as people who can eventually secure all the legal documents and thereby enjoy their rights as Malaysian citizens

Datuk Dr Subramaniam, the Taskforce chair & Minister together with Datuk Saravanan the Deputy Minister will undertake a working visit to the JPN office at Maju Junction today Feb 19, 2011 at 12noon.

Similar programs and launches are being organized at all the major states where the campaign is being undertaken.

Thus far the Taskforce has received tremendous support from political parties, community groups, private sector leaders and NGOs. This is a mass mobilization of the community and there is a concerted effort from many different quarters.

Micro Credit Awareness Program at Seremban


Participants at the Seremban Micro Finance Program
 The Taskforce organized a third micro credit awareness program with speakers from AKPK, BSN and Agro bank. The earlier ones were in Perai and Kapar. Over 85 people came to the Seremban program on Saturday, Feb 12, 2011 which was held at the MIC State office with a majority being men namely 58 and the remaining 27 were women.

Micro Business experience

It is interesting to note that many are already undertaking micro or small business. Some were undertaking transportation enterprise, or running a bridal set up and others selling eatables such as ‘nasi lemak’ or sales pertaining to flowers or prayer items or in direct selling in health care products.

Among the two people who interacted with Datuk Dr Denison were Mr S Harikrishan and Mr K Ramani. Both are very successful businessmen. In the case of Hari he runs a cleaning service and Mr Ramani manages small plantations on lease. Both seem to be in a good business area and so far they have grown from very small using personal funds and resources. Both admit that access to loans is an issue and their financial management styles and approaches are a problem for formal banking. However they both recognize that in order for them to grow they need to

  • Reorganise their business
  • Develop more professional approaches
  • Standardize financial and banking practices
  • Develop credit discipline

Issue of high interest

A major issue raised at the Sermeban gathering  was regarding to why is the interest rates for BSN and Agro bank was so high namely between 14 to 17%? A number raised this concern and there was some reluctance to applying for this loan.

The bank officials indicated that the cost of micro loans are high and therefore to cover their cost they have to charge this interest rate. In addition there is the high risk factor too. The people however feel that it is the duty of the Federal government to assist micro and small players in the market with just interest say 4 to 7 % rather than 14 to 17%.

Both Hari and Ramai were looking forward to special schemes by the Federal government which is in the interest of building micro and small Indian businesses.

Talk on Financial Management

The participants were very delighted with the AKPK speaker Mr Segaran and his presentation on financial management. One participant indicated that one hour is insufficient and that more sessions must be held on how to manage our finance. Mr Steven of Sermeban MIC and who was one of the local organisers has asked the Taskforce to organize another two to three hours program on financial management and he has assured to being over 30 young people.

For the Taskforce team this is a learning curve in order to pilot test especially in areas such as micro enterprise awareness, access to available micro credit loans and acquiring good financial management information and procedures. There is a need for a national scheme to update and upgrade micro Indian business operators so that their potential can be tap for wealth creation and improvement of the quality of life index among the bottom 40% in the Indian community.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

The hidden poor in a city of affluence

Public Housing Flats at Air Panas
Three Indian Women in need 

Yesterday (Feb 13, 2011) during a visit to the DBKL flats at Air Panas, Setiawangsa, KL I met three women who shared their experience of urban poverty which provides a picture of the complex nature of urban poverty. However there are no public sector agencies or NGOs that addresses these urban poor concerns in a systematic and holistic way.

There are eights blocks of high rise flats in this neighborhood with over 2,565 units. Of these 35% are occupied by Indian families. These families were shifted from previous squatters in this region. The families originally lived and worked in two estates located in this area namely Wardiban Estate and Hawthonan Estate. The families were displaced and they lived in squatters after the estate was sold for development.

Now they have been resettled into new public housing provided by KL city hall and the monthly rent is RM124.00 The flats looks new and well kept by city hall. The infrastructure looks pleasant however when we chat with ordinary people we come to understand human suffering in these urban locations with very little public and community facilities. These people are among the new and hidden poor admits our rich city and land. Many suffer daily with very little sense of hope as reflected in the three women whom I met yesterday.

Mrs Shanti Subramaniam (35). She has got 5 children. He husband left her, one and half years ago. Her oldest daughter is 17 years old and not in school. However the remaining four are going to school. She works in a near by company and earns RM800. When her husband left her, he left her with two debts she now has to settle. One is for RM4, 244.50 which is house rent. They have not paid for nearly 5 years and are now at risk of being thrown out by city hall as she has received the notice for eviction.



Left to right - Parathy, Shanti & Puspavathy
 She also has inherited a debt of RM3,000 from an Along (illegal money lender) and her ATM card and bank book is now in the possession of the along who monthly with draws RM300.00 She is unsure how long more she has to pay and seems confused over how much she has paid.

Shanti might not be statistically poor based on Malaysian PLI measurement but definitely in Amarty Sen’s definition unable to break the cycle of poverty. She is an extremely vulnerable single mother in the city. She told me so many time she too has thought of either running away or taking her life as there seems to be no way out of the hands of illegal money lenders and financial debt.

This reality of poverty is not been captured by any of the state intervention programs in social welfare or Azam as the complexities of urban poverty are not serious taken into account in the design of intervention programs. The answer too is not to just give Shanti the needed RM7,000 to get her out of poverty but also assist her through some self help group which will provide support and some training on home budget and finance.

Mrs Parathy (42) also has five children between the ages 21 to 12. Her husband was driving a taxi but because of a loan from an along (illegal money lender) their lives have been disrupted. They borrowed to make a down payment for taxi rental but are caught in difficulties in repayments. Monthly they are paying RM250 and according to Parthy this is only to service the interest. They have been doing this for the past 2 years and there seems to be no end to this bondage.

The ugly aspect of the illegal money lender emerged when they posted a huge photocopy of his identification card in front of the house with red paint saying they have borrowed and unable to replay and that the family is untrustworthy. They felt so ashamed among their neighbors that they now pay the interest but the principle sum is unsettled yet. It seems never ending. They do not seems to get any support from any authorities like Police or city hall enforcement who are in the know of illegal activities.

Another lady who spoke to me is Mrs Puspavathy (in her 50s). She is a widow with one son who is unemployed. They have not been able to settle the house rental and owe city hall RM1, 270. She works at a plastic company and earns RM660.00 a month. She has been doing so for the past 23 years. Her salary is really low however this is what she and her son survives on.

Measuring poverty beyond an income measure

Malaysia continues to use an income measure to ascertain poverty. The Poverty Line Income (PLI) is a means income test. Malaysia sets poverty at RM750.00 and below. However globally there is a major shift in poverty measurement instruments and while income measurement is only used as one among many indicators rather than it being the sole indicator.

Together with Prof Amartya Sen at Delhi airport
A major advocate of this change in measuring instruments is Prof Amarty Sen. Recently I had the good fortune of meeting him at New Delhi airport and briefly chatted with him on this matter.

His land mark work entitled ‘Development as Freedom’, where he states “poverty as a deprivation of basic capabilities, rather than merely as low income” (pg 20). He advocates a shift “from an exclusive concentration on income poverty to the more inclusive idea of capability deprivation, we can better understand the poverty of human lives and freedoms” (pg 20)

These three stories call us to review social intervention strategies among the urban poor. We need to clearly articulate the issues and concerns and draw up initiatives which can empower people to realize their full potential.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Indian women in Kapar attend micro loan awareness program

Aim officer En Saad and Taskforce officer Premla sharing thoughts
Thirty five Indian women gathered at the MIC office in Kapar yesterday (Feb 11, 2011) to hear the briefing from the officials from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). The Taskforce in cooperation with local leaders organized this program. This is in an ongoing effort to create great awareness and access on micro loan programs funded by the Federal government

AIM a micro credit self help group program which is very successful in polling many Malay families out of poverty though micro credit and business. This is empowering program rather than an approach which is based on welfare grants and charity

The real catalyst in this program at Kapar was a single mother (Mrs Janu) who asked for this program and convinced her friends to attend it. AIM staff Mr Saad and Taskforce officer Mrs Premla briefed the women on the program, terms and conditions of participation in AIM. Datuk Dr Denison also briefly addressed the women and encouraged them to form small groups that will co guarantee themselves for micro loans.

Kapar women at the micro credit briefing by AIM & Taskforce
There were two key questions in the mind of most of the women. One relates to the sharing of liability as this is a group guarantee program and if one of the five members defaults then the others in the group will have to share the loss. The second matter was over attendance at the weekly meeting.

There was some clear interest and they all agreed to make one field trip which will be organized by the Taskforce namely to visit a successful operating AIM Centre of 60 women in Hutang Merlingtang, Teluk Intan. They agreed to make the visit on March 12 (sat) and in order to meet some of the successful women in the AIM program.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Managing Finances well – a prerequisite for being bankable

Participants at the Micro Business Awareness Program at Kapar ( Jan 23, 2011)
The Special Implementation Taskforce on the Indian Community has undertaken two micro business awareness programs. The first was in Perai on December 18, 2010 and the second in Kapar on Jan 23, 2011. The participating agencies at the first was BSN and AgroBank and in the second we also invited AKPK which the Bank Negara Credit Counseling and Debt Management Agency.

These institutions provided financial education on the availability of micro loans as well as how to effectively manage finances in running a micro and small business.

Profile of Malaysian Micro Indian Enterprises

The Taskforce secretariat reviewed the micro business background of 22 people who came for our session in Perai and we discovered some interesting findings.
We found:-

  • 91% of respondents are in micro business and remaining 9% are small businesses
  • Only 8 out of 22 or 36% have business permits
  • 73% of the respondents are in services, 18% in agriculture, 9% in manufacturing
  • 32% indicated that they did not apply for financing schemes as they were not aware, 32% indicated not aware of financing procedures, 9% felt that applications will be rejected, another 9% felt that the application process is difficult
  • Based on the comments received most respondents require – Advisory & handholding services from the government, financial assistance and more aggressive awareness campaign on financing avenues, processes and requirements.

Taskforce & AKPK

Taskforce secretariat is exploring the possibility of close collaboration with AKPK as they have awareness programs, materials and Tamil speaking resource persons on financial and debt management talks and counseling services.

In a recent discussion with Mr Nor Akmar Yaakub and Mohamad Khalil of AKPK with Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, Taskforce is exploring running financial advice clinics at 30 towns in nine states from March to June 2011.

Mr Segaran, a Senior Credit Counsellor from AKPK speaking
at the Kapar Awareness program (Jan 23, 2011)
At the Kapar Micro awareness program Mr Segran from AKPK was one of the speakers. AKPK facilitators will also be part of the third awareness program in Seremban on Feb 12, 2011 when our next program will be hosted by local leaders from Seremban.

AKPK has a number of useful financial advice books. These are useful tools on financial management. The officials provided a few sample copies for the Taskforce review and they are extremely useful and available in all the major Malaysian languages.


Recently AKPK released Power, Managing your debts effectively (2011). This book is part of AKPK’s Financial Capacity Program aimed at “equipping young adults and first time borrowers with important skills in money and debt management”. It aims “to show how to manage your debts effectively and make informed financial decisions”. The ultimate objective is to empower people “to take control of your finances and avoid making wrong decisions that could rest in years of financial pain”

AKPK Manager Mohamad Khalil and officer
with copies of Power and Money Sense
According to AKPK, there area a variety of topics covered in POWER. For example:-
  • How to manage your cash flow which will help you understand your financial position better
  • Basics of borrowing
  • Wise use of credit cards
  • Advice on buying a car and house
  • How to live with manageable debts

Their earlier publication is entitled Money Sense, Getting smart with your money (2008). According to AKPK more than 50% of those who sought their counsel indicated “that they got into financial trouble because they had low understanding of basic financial literacy”. Money sense aims to teach skills on how to manage ones money and achieve financial goals. It teaches people on how to be in control of ones finances. Furthermore, it “illustrates how important it is to always be financial prepared for life uncertainties”

For further information please see http://www.akpk.org.my/ or call 1800 88 2575

Thursday, February 3, 2011

EWRF CSI Initiative – A time for community review

Datuk Dr Denison making a presentation at the EWRF CSI Review Meeting
EWRF volunteers gathered to review a very important community program which they have been undertaking targeting the underachievers who are at risk of crime and anti social behavior called Community Service Initiative - CSI.  This took place on Sunday, Jan 23, 2011 at Dynasty Hotel. For more details(http://www.ewrf.org.my/)

Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria was invited as a guest to share some thoughts. Also present at the function were Dato A Yogesvaran (EWRF President), Mr SP Nathan (Vice President), the main organiser and Mr K Arumugam (who was invited to moderate the review).

In his talk Dr Denison made a number of observations and suggestions

Observations

Dr Denison congratulated EWRF for the fine work they were doing especially in targeting underachieving youths and seeing the close correlations between weak education performance and behavior issues. He acknowledged the vision and dedication of the EWRF leadership and volunteers.

He made reference to his earlier work while he was in YSS on the five levels of intervention which is relevant for analysis and reflections.

The five levels:-
Level 1- Youth living in high risk neighborhoods
Level 2 – Youths at risk of social ills
Level 3 – Youths in active involvement in crime
Level 4 – Youths in custody
Level 5 – Youths in the post custody stage

He recognized that EWRF was involved more at level 1 and 2 which has a strong focus on prevention. This he affirmed is valid and of utmost importance. However to stop the cycle of dysfunctional youths there is a need for involved in all five levels and there was a need in the community to identify other partners who can play that role in order to ensure a comprehensive and holistic intervention takes place.

Dr Denison also recognized in the case of EWRF there was specific targeting of youths who were not only academically weak but ones who have behavior problems and who are from low income families. This specific targeting is necessary and can be used an indicator to measure achievements and challenges

Some suggestions made

The guest speaker went on the list out five specific suggestions for the review team to keep in mind as the volunteers reflect on their work noting both achievements and challenges. This must include - charting a course of action to move the agenda forward in enhancing the potential of young people.

EWRF -CSI volunteers

  • Documenting the learning journey

This whole process of identifying the educational needs and concerns, developing the modules, teaching materials, documenting the experiences at the ground, noting stories of achievements & success, failures & challenges is an integral component of the learning journey. This will be very useful and EWRF can set the framework for other NGOs to also use the modules and experiences to reach out in other locations and areas.

  • Be community focused in the intervention

While the current approach is to ferry the children and young people from their homes to a nearest community hall or Tamil school, there must be a parallel focus on local communities and neighborhoods. In so doing it will ensure that these initiatives are sustainable.

The weak link in urban neighborhoods is the failure of local community leadership to take control. In so doing the project will become a sustainable initiative. By not developing a community based approach, it will result in dependency on the NGO providing the service and this in the long run will not be sustainable especially when funding runs out or there is a change in the priorities of the NGO.

  • Undertake impact assessment

Appoint an external consultant to undertake impact assessment. In order to do this effectively the impact assessment tools and indicators must be very clear developed early on and a tracking system for individual process. These are at two levels. One is on the project and organization and the other is tracking the change and transformation experienced by the youths.

In this context the background data gathered must also include not just academic performance but also challenges faced by the young person such as discipline issues in schools, attendance at school and if there is any crime involvement by the individual or any member of the family.

  • Scaling up the project & enlarging the outreach

Many NGOs undertake good micro projects but in order to make an impact it must be scaled up to impact at least 70 to 80% of the target group. In the cases of underachievers  it could be between 6,000 to 10,000 entering secondary school directly to Form 1 or via the Remove call system each year. We therefore need to see how the program can be scaled up to impact at least 10,000 youths nation wide

Therefore we need to evaluate what kind of resources we need and who else can partner with us. Furthermore what resources can we tap from the Federal government and agencies is also a point for reflection. In this context during this review process EWRF could also ask what role could the Taskforce play to enhance this project?

EWRF -CSI Volunteers

  • Drawing policy implications and undertaking policy advocacy

It is important during the review process to critical reflect on the policy implications of the work. What polices should be reviewed? In what ways can socio-educational programs be introduced by Ministry of Educations to address these issues of underachievers?

Government has gone on to establish Trust schools in the Tenth Malaysia Plan where there is a smart partnership between private sector and schools to enhance productivity and performance. Why another scheme to be introduced as smart partnerships with NGOs to work with underachievers or undertake radical teaching –learning outcomes to ensure that educational institutions develops special programs for underachievers. How can Ministry of Education institute smart partnerships with NGOs like EWRF so that these CSI programs are an integral part of education and appreciated by the federal government?

Therefore policy research and advocacy is a complementary role along side direct deliver of services and programs. Therefore emerging out of the EWRF-CSI initiative emerges valuable lesson which should be better articulate and promoted.

Urban Living – Lembah Subang Flats

Lembah Subang Flats
In an effort to clear the squatters the Federal government together with the Selangor government established the Lembah Subang flats some 10 years ago to provide transit accommodation while the squatters were cleared, flats built and the people re-housed. There are eight blocks at Lembah Subang with 392 units per block. Therefore there are over 3,000 units which are in three phases. It is a large area allocated on the road towards the Subang airport.

Yesterday I visited the area to meet up with a local community leader and some of his contacts to ascertain the situation there. A number of years ago while I was at YSS we undertook a survey and conducted some community based programs. However in recent years there has been a social neglect of this area and therefore there is a need to revisit these locations to ensure federal services are extended to these communities who are among the urban poor and low income. The Taskforce team will seek to assist the community through community intervention programs via Federal government agencies.

Pathma (41) Local community leaders

Mr Pathmnathan (41) has been living in the area for the past 10 years. Many years ago he worked as the staff of the local MCA assembly man Dato Sk Lim when he was the elected official for Kota Damansara.

Now Pathma, runs a small business at a small shop near the community hall at Block C with his wife selling vegetables, fish etc. Prior to shifting to this place he lived in SS2 and there he ran a food stall. Pathma is the local Indian leaders with his own NGO and active in MIC.









Housing situation & Local Issues

According to Pathma there are 1,200 units which are occupied by Indian families. Of them about 800 could not shift out to permanent accommodation for a number of reasons.

For example:-

  • Some could not secure housing loans as they had defaulted and are black listed
  • Some were larger families and therefore some members sifted but others remained hoping to secure another unit.
  • Some could not secure the alternate unit as they were not part of the original squatter list
  • Some are sub renting from a person who has the unit but not living there
  • Some became more settled here and prefer to live on in this area as they have got adjusted to work, school and neighborhood

The situation here is discussions are going on between the federal government and state government to sell the units off to the current people residing. According to local people there is some tension as the federal government and state government are not from the same political party. Furthermore locals are unhappy with the Selangor state government from raising the rent from RM124 to RM250.


Urban neighborhood Renewal program

Like Desa Menteri 2 area, this place at Lembah Subang is also a higher densely populated area where there are about 1, 200 families which in effect mean over 5,000 Indians within a compact area. All the families living here are low income and part of the urban poor community.

While some community projects have been organized in these areas however what is urgently require are community based local social intervention programs along with local people empowerment. These are some areas that the Taskforce will be working with federal government agencies and Pemandu’s NKRA-LIH unit to address and enhance access and social inclusion.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Successful Indian Women at the grassroots

Members of the Kenari Centre

Success in business and entrepreneurship is often viewed from successful stories from the top especially of those who are in public listed companies, global networks and high flying type. However in our new economic modal there are also amazing stories from the bottom and from ordinary folks who are creating wealth. These are people who have moved from poverty, from welfare dependency, from self pity and low self esteem to economic freedom, confidence, dignity and recapturing their space in an open economic.

One such story are women from a small town called Hutang Melingtang in Perak. On November 8, 2010 I accompanied Dato Verasingam, Dato Siva Subramanium to Hutang Melintang to meet up with sixty Indian women who are members of the Kenari Centre of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM). The visit was very inspiring as the women here are an outstanding example. They have a 100 % track record for attendance and 100% repayment rate for their loans. Members have taken loans estimating over half a million.

The centre which comprises twelve groups and sixty members began in 2000. Uncle Manium as he is called by the women is a local community leader was the catalyst and father figure for the women. The groups began in his home and eventfully moved to a community centre office of the MIC to accommodate the twelve groups and sixty members.

Three women shared their story. They were just ordinary women in a small rural town but they had a determination to succeed and there is a story that all of us must read about.


Ms Premalata
 Premalata Subramaniam started with a RM1,00 loan at AIM in 2001. She sells fish as the market. She first owned a bicycle eventual managed to buy a motor cycle and progressively bought a small lorry. Today she also sells at four night markets (pasar malam) in addition to selling fish at the morning market. Over the years she has managed to buy a car and a house and now draws a monthly income of RM4,000. She now has a RM30,000 loan from AIM. All in she has taken RM86,000.00 in micro loans and has been faithful in repaying. She has an very good track record and credit discipline as she has borrowed about ten times.

Ms S Manggalam



S.Manggalam is another success story. She joined the group in 2005 and since then borrowed seven times amounting to RM 41,000.00 Currently she has a loan of RM16, 000. She undertakes direct selling of products and has a strong down line chain. She has been very successful as she has managed to buy a car and house and earn about RM3,000. She is now applying for a RM30,000.00




Ms Uma Devi
Uma Devi together with her husband is involved in a number of business. They started of in a very small way selling scrap metal using a rented vehicle. They now own their own lorry and are planning to buy their house. In addition to doing scrap metal work, they have ventured into wedding package by providing a service for tent, chair, catering of food. Uman now employs five people thereby creating new jobs. She now has taken a loan worth RM18,000


 
Some Lessons

In hearing their stories one can learn some precious lessons:-

First they told that they were not looking for charity or welfare handout but a way out of low income and poverty.

Second, they clearly indicate that hard work and industry is most important virtue to posses.

Third, they all recognize that they need the support of others in good time and challenging period. A community orientation to micro loans provides a human touch to commercial transactions. The groups check and support gives many of the women the confidence and solidarity.

Fourth, character assessment becomes central to loan processing and this has become the measuring yard stick. The group plays that role. Credit discipline is something to be nurtured.

Fifth, the AIM approach of progressively moving from a small group to a bigger one enables the organization to manage the financial risk taking in this process. All the women borrowers earned their trust as they were found worthy from small loans of RM1, 000 to higher loans over time. Many of the women have gone through a seven and even ten times loan cycle.


Members of the Kenari Centre (AIM) at Hutang Melintang

AIM was established in 1986 among Malay women. The first initiative among Indian women began in 1999 when 10 Indian women became members at Ladan Derelik in Sitiawan through the initiative of Dato K Kumaran (now Tan Sri) when he was Deputy Rural Minister. The outreach to Indian women was enlarged during the time of Dato G Palanivelu when he became Deputy Rural Development Minister.

As at April 2010, there are a total of 2,054 Indian women borrowers with a cumulative loan profile of RM9.4 million. There is much potential through AIM’s approach of micro loans where the group of five co guarantees for each other. There must be greater awareness in the community to plug into the various schemes for wealth creation.

Premalata, Manggalam and Uma Devi are some examples of how Indian women have pulled themselves and their families out of poverty. They serve as light to inspire other to not to seek charity and welfare but be empowered in creating wealth.






Complexity admit simplicity –Securing a valid document

Tuan Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah conducting the training session

Registration of a birth and securing an identification card is an easy process if done on time and following the normal procedures. However when a family delays or is faced with some difficulties than we see complications especially if the family keeps delaying the process.

Today we are faced with so many difficult and complex cases were social workers and volunteers are finding it difficult to verifying the births and origins. Much of this is still based on ignorance and a lack of awareness. This is especially so for many older people who lived in estates or interior areas with very little education and now have migrated to towns.

However the problem continues even today largely due to ignorance and lack of awareness and in a number of cases there are major complications. Some are related to birth of a child to unwed parents or when there is an unregistered marriage between two Malaysians from two different religions (Hindu-Muslim) or an unregistered marriage between a Malaysian and non Malaysia partner (Indonesian or Filipino).

Training for volunteers at PJ-JPN

Yesterday (Feb 2, 2011) about 16 volunteers from MIC youth, MIC Selangor and Welfare society from Desra Menteri 2 including Hindu Sangam Athma program, attended a special session conducted by Tuan Abdul Rahman Bin Abdullah, the Registration Department officer for Petaling Jaya. It was a very informative and useful session for all who participated.

Tuan Abdul Rahman went step by step on the procedures and also illustrated when there were issues through specific cases. Lot and lots of questions were hurled at him by the volunteers but he remained calm and answered them them. He provided some simple notes as well as a sample of the key forms. From time to time he threw some Tamil words during his presentation so as to identify with the Tamil community.

Registering a Birth

Law requires a parent to register a birth within 14 days. They will have to fill Form LM01 which is given out free and it is very basic in its questions which one has to answer. If there is a delay up then between 15 to 42 days a same form is filled but there is a fine of RM5.00. However if it goes beyond 42 days then the process is more complicated as more supporting documents are required.

In Form LM01 the details required are:-

  • Details on the new born with hospital/clinic verification of birth.
  • Details on mother and father especially their citizenship and marriage status. 

Late Birth Registration

In the case of beyond 42 days, one still has to fill Form LM01 however there are lots of supporting documents required. Among those required are:-

  • Supporting document from mid wife who assisted delivery
  • Supporting reference from local community leader
  • Supporting reference of a witness of the birth
  • Supporting reference from local school
  • Family history and background
  • Commission of oat document

It is at this level that complications can arise. However there are solutions to every issue and therefore we need to assist these families secure their documentations.

Listed below are some illustrations of the complexity of issues and possible responses. However this is not an official repose but thoughts acquired at the training session and therefore subject to Registration Department official’s verification.

Father neglects duty to register birth

After a baby is born the father does not want to go and do the registration as the mother is his second wife and they are not legally married. Mother can register the birth but the name of the father will not be included without his consent.

To prevent ‘cultural shame’ of being a child without a father’s name in the future, the fathers name is added to the child’s name without the term “son of or daughter of’ words. But the section on name of father will be left blank. Most often in school or in hospitals/clinics where the birth certificate is needed, the family matters will be known and if the staff do not practice confidentially then social stigma and shame impacts them negatively.

Marriage not legally registered

In addition even if the father without legal registration of marriage goes and registers the child that birth, is registered under section 13- birth outside marriage. While this is indicated in the birth certificate as a reference number only, most staff in hospitals and schools knows this reference. Once again the issue of social shame puts many in a vulnerable position

Unregistered married of couple from different religions

The case is further complicated if one of the partners is of another religion for example the father is a Hindu and mother a Muslim then the child registered will be regarded a Muslim. Some couples do not want to face the religious authorities and therefore avoid registration.

Unregistered marriage of couple and one is a foreigner

Another major issue is if the father is a Malaysian citizen but mother is a foreign citizen and if the marriage is not registered then the child can secure a birth certificate but the citizenship will be based on the mothers. The father can reapply for citizenship after a year but the marriage must be registered first.

Some of cases we are working on:-

Parit Bunatr Young girl - In Part Buntar we came across a young girl in there early 20s who has a BC with her name but no name of father. Her’s is a sad story. Her parents are not married and the mother is the second wife. When she was born the father refused to accept the girl child as his and therefore did not register her. The father died a few years ago.

Later though the assistance of local MIC leader they secured the birth certificate and now they are working on thee identification card. The Registration department has agreed to add the name of the father in her personal name so as to give her a family name. However in the birth certificate on the father’s name it will be left blank.

Karak Young girl. In Karak we met a young girl studying in Form Five and she is 19 years old. Her father is Malaysian Indian (Hindu) and the mother is an Indonesian citizen who is a Christian. The mother is the second wife and their marriage is unregistered. The girl has a birth certificate but recorded as non Malaysian citizen.

Subsequently the couple got legally registered (first wife passed away) and they are seeking the assistance of the Registration Department to change the citizenship status non citizen to Malaysian citizenship of their daughter. Taskforce is assisting this family.

Karak Young lady. In Karak a young lady of 23 years of age came with a little baby to the Mini Mesra Rakyat program. She fell in love with a man who came to their home town on Police orders of banishment (Buang Negeri). While her parents objected to their relationship the young lady ran off with him. After a while the man abused her physically and then sent her back. She told us she really thought he was a good man and that he loves her. Now she is seeking assistance for the documentation. She lives with her brother and his family and she is taping rubber trees in a small estate.

 
Some of the volunteers at the training session
Compassionate social intervention with justice

It is difficult to take a moral stand approach to these real life situations. The system of registration is to facilitate identification of the person. However for some the laws, procedures and administration of births and deaths, become a hurdle for them to realize their full potential as citizens.

 It is in this context that we need to review these in order that social exclusion is minimized. An advisory centre on documentation with compassionate public officials handling the complex cases from a human dimension is urgently necessary. In many ways the best benchmark of effective service is addressing the concerns of the socially excluded from mainstream society.

At the same time there must be increased awareness of addressing the roots causes which impacts the family institution. Here is where religious institutions can really play a cutting edge role not only in strengthening the family unit but also addressing the root social and moral reform that is urgently needed.

While the rituals of religion has increased in Malaysian society across all the religious groups, however indicators of spirituality namely values have decreased.