MRT: ‘Give Indian contractors 10%’

K Pragalath | August 24, 2011

MIC's R Manivannan argues that the mega project should benefit all and not the bumiputera alone.

PETALING JAYA: A MIC member wants 10% of the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transport (KVMRT) construction contracts to be given to Indians.

“Since the government has set 30% as bumiputera quota for the MRT project, it is only appropriate for the economically lagging Malaysian Indian community to solicit our 10% quota, as encompassed in the principles of NEP,” said MIC national entrepreneurship committee secretary R Manivannan.

He reasoned that the project was meant to prosper all Malaysians and not only the bumiputera.

“It was not meant solely for the bumi but to uplift the economically disadvantaged,” he said.

Manivannan was responding to Pakatan Rakyat MPs who claimed that the 30% quota for the project proved that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s New Economic Model was no different from the NEP.

The MRT project owners, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, said yesterday that the nation’s largest construction project ever would have fixed reservations for the bumiputera.

The Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry wanted the entire KVMRT project to be given to Malay contractors.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I went to the Post Office to register to vote; and upon checking my identity card, the Post officer asked which religion I belonged to. Why? I do not know. Therefore, we must reform the Department of Religion. Right now, only Islam is recognised as the religion in the Department of Religion. Therefore we need reforms. We need to divide the Department of Religion into two branches: one branch to deal with Muslim Affairs, and another branch to deal with non-Muslim Affairs.

Another alternative is to persuade the Malays to separate Penang Island from Peninsular Malaysia. It may be that non-Muslims are the majority in Penang. More and more non-Muslims from Peninsular Malaysia should be encouraged to relocate to Penang. Once Penang becomes a non-Muslim majority state, then the Penangites can ask for greater autonomy from KL. Penang should be allowed to make its own laws for itself. I think the Malays should be happy if more non-Malays relocate to Penang. An increase in non-Malays in Penang will result in a decrease in non-Malays in Peninsular Malaysia; and therefore Malays should be happy. Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. Since Singapore is a non-Muslim majority nation, Penang should also become a non-Muslim majority state. The non-Muslim citizens need a hub and space of their own; and the hub and space would be Penang. Those non-Muslim citizens who are unwilling to accept a second class citizen status inside Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang Island.


If you are non-Muslim Malaysian and do feel socially, politically, or economically shortchanged, then stop complaining and fretting. Do something. Instead of fretting and complaining, please make arrangements to relocate to Penang. If you have non-Muslim friends who fret and complain, then immediately persuade them to relocate to Penang.

If you are non-Muslim Malaysian and do feel socially, politically, or economically shortchanged, then stop complaining and fretting. If non-Muslim taxpayers feel shortchanged, then stop the sweating, brooding, complaining, and having nightmares. There is a solution to the nightmares and depression. Do something. Please relocate to Penang.

If non-Muslims feel that Muslim Malaysians, as taxpayers, are having a parasitical relations with non-Muslim Malaysians, then the non-Muslims must do something. What should non-Muslims do to thwart the parasitical relations with Muslim Malaysians? If you are non-Muslim, please relocate to Penang Island. The solution is relocate to Penang Island; and the Muslim Malaysians also should encourage non-Muslim Malaysians to relocate to Penang.

If the non-Muslims are opposed to the "ketuanan Melayu" ideology, then they should relocate to Penang.

Firstly, I have utmost respect for the many Malays who are so kind. However, there are some Malays who feel that the Malay forefathers made a big mistake about 100 to 150 years ago by allowing Chinese and Indian immigrants into Malaya in large numbers. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. That's the Malay perpective. Well, there are Malaysian citizens of Chinese and Indian ancestry who feel that their forefathers also made a big mistake relocating to Malaya. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. Now, just as the Malays have to tolerate non-Malays, the non-Malays have to tolerate the Malays too. There is a solution. The non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang. The Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. It's a win-win.

Anonymous said...

Firstly, I have utmost respect for the many Malays who are so kind. However, there are some Malays who feel that the Malay forefathers made a big mistake about 100 to 150 years ago by allowing Chinese and Indian immigrants into Malaya in large numbers. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. That's the Malay perpective. Well, there are Malaysian citizens of Chinese and Indian ancestry who feel that their forefathers also made a big mistake relocating to Malaya. What happened about 100 to 150 years ago is irreversible. Now, just as the Malays have to tolerate non-Malays, the non-Malays have to tolerate the Malays too. There is a solution. The non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia should relocate to Penang. The Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate to Penang. It's a win-win.

Nanyang means South Seas, a reference to the South East Asain region. The Nanyang Chinese are those Chinese who relocated from China to South East Asia about 100 to 150 years ago. The contribution of the Nanyang Chinese is well documented. In parts of South East Asia the Nanyang Chinese founded many, if not most, of the towns and urban centers. The Nanyang Chinese have served South East Asia for about 100 to 150 years and are entitled to a hub and space of their own which will be Penang. (We also have the Straits Chinese). The Chinese from Peninsular Malaya, if they can, should relocate closer to Penang so that Penang will always be a Chinese majority state. The Penang Chinese should seek greater autonomy for Penang. Global geo-politics is changing and China is a rising social, political, and economic power. Amidst all these changes, Penang has to find its niche. We have to keep Penang as a Chinese majority state.

The Indians, as non-Muslims, in Malaya too have contributed to the growth and development of Malaya for 100 to 150 years. Global geo-politics is changing and China and India are rising social, political, and economic powers. Amidst all these changes, Penang has to find its niche. We have to keep Penang as a non-Muslim majority state. Both the Nanyang Chinese and the Indians in Malaya should, if they can, relocate closer to Penang. With good cooperation between China and India, the Indians and Nanyang Chinese in Malaya can benefit. Penang should be spot where the Chinese and Indian communities co-exist; and using Penang's co-existance model, both China and India can also co-exist.

We can say that the forefathers of the present Muslims in Malaya made a big mistake allowing Chinese and Indians to settle in Malaya more than 100 years ago. We can also say that Muslims benefitted enormously from the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaya. It is all about other people's money or OPM. OPM means other people's money. Over the last few decades the Muslims have benifitted by using OPM, namely taxes collected mostly from non-Muslim Malaysians. OPM has given the Muslims a free ride. Using OPM, Muslims have lived the good life. Therefore, it is time for the non-Muslim Malayans to be increasingly Penang oriented. We do have a predominantly non-Muslim government in Penang; and therefore the Chinese and Indians in Malaya should become increasingly Penang oriented.

Anonymous said...

We can say that the forefathers of the present Muslims in Malaya made a big mistake allowing Chinese and Indians to settle in Malaya more than 100 years ago. We can also say that Muslims benefitted enormously from the Chinese and Indian communities in Malaya. It is all about other people's money or OPM. OPM means other people's money. Over the last few decades the Muslims have benifitted by using OPM, namely taxes collected mostly from non-Muslim Malaysians. OPM has given the Muslims a free ride. Using OPM, Muslims have lived the good life. Therefore, it is time for the non-Muslim Malayans to be increasingly Penang oriented. We do have a predominantly non-Muslim government in Penang; and therefore the Chinese and Indians in Malaya should become increasingly Penang oriented.

Where did the Malays come from? If you ask me, I,d venture to say that Malays come from Hindu/Buddhist influence. It all depends on how far back in history we want to go back to. There is strong evidence that all 6.5 billion of us come from Africa. It is not too good to look back too much, anyway. We have to move forward. There are many new things we have to learn in this competitive world of ours. In any case, I have nothing against the Malays who are kind; and I assure you that many Malays are kind.


There is a need to understand that Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, and Unfederated Malay States were slightly different from each other. Penang is part of the Straits Settlements and deserves greater autonomy. The goal of Penangites should be GREATER AUTONOMY. Malays should encourage non-Muslims to relocate closer to Penang because an increase in non-Muslims in Penang results in a decrease in non-Muslims in Peninsular Malaya.

Please make sure you go to the nearest Post Office to register to vote. Please exercise your right to vote.



If you do agree with me, please copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Those who receive it must in turn copy and remail it to whom it may concern. Let’s get the word around to as many people as possible. Let’s see what happens.