Waytha claims ministers received funding meant to help Indian community

KUALA LUMPUR: A former minister and two former deputy ministers directly received funding meant to help the Indian community, claims Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Waytha Moorthy (pic).

He said that the case is currently being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

He added that the former minister and deputy ministers, who he declined to reveal, allegedly received the funding from the Socio-Economic Development Unit for the Indian Community (Sedic).

"There is basis in the complaint that the fund did not reach the targeted group during the Barisan Nasional administration.

"However, no allocation was channelled to MIC," he said in reply to a supplementary question from R. S. N Rayer (PH-Jelutong) during Question Time.

Rayer had asked whether any of the funds were channelled to MIC, and if the government was prepared to reveal individuals who were involved in corruption or leakages from the previous government of funds aimed to help the Indian community.

Sedic was an agency formed by the Barisan government to provide grants to non-governmental organisations to implement programmes for the Indian community.

It was later rebranded as Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) by the Pakatan Harapan government.

Datuk Seri M. Saravanan (BN-Tapah) stood up to interjected, asking Rayer to apologise for making such accusations.

"I ask Jelutong to retract his statement that the fund was given to MIC.

"How can the fund be given to a political party," said Saravanan.

Waytha Moorty said that the Audit Department has made an audit on all the allocation given for the development programmes for the Indian community under Barisan.

"There is no transparency, no record who is the real beneficiary for those programmes.

"There are a lot of wrongdoings and mismanagement.

"After considering all the past mistakes, Mitra is and will continue to ensure that funding for the Indian community will reach the grassroots," he added.