Indian NGO Coalition Focuses On Improving Community

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- An alliance of Indian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) established last year is focusing its agenda towards tackling issues to uplift the community's development.

The Coalition Of Malaysian Indian NGOs (Comin) was formed on an ad-hoc basis in January last year to support the release of Hindraf activists detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"Now, we leave all that behind. We are focusing on problems facing the Indian community, to provide ideas on how to improve their social, education and economic living," Comin chairman Datuk A. Vaithilingam told Bernama.

Comin has 40 active NGOs under its fold but it has drawn the interest of over 100.

Vaithilingam said it would act as a think-tank group that would gather opinions from experts and provide advice to NGOs and government authorities on obstacles facing Indians.

"Ours is not on a basis of confrontation...we will study and provide guidance to NGOs on how they can benefit and recommend our findings to the authorities, including the government.

"Our view is that a democratically-elected government should be respected, and at the same time, we are calling for unity among the Indians, even if with opposition parties, to look into the common interest of the community."

Comin recently held a seminar attended by 108 participants on how Indians can tap into allocations, such as for poverty, as announced in the 2010 Budget announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Vaithilingam noted that some Indian NOGs involved in education were getting assistance from the government.

"That is welcome, but at the same time, we hope other NGOs will also be helped but the funds should not be channelled via political sources," he said.

Among the NGOs in Comin are the Malaysian Hindu Youth Council (MHYC), Information Learning and Development Centre (Child), Education, Welfare and Research Foundation (EWRF) and Sri Murugan Centre (SMC).

EWRF chairman S. Pasupathi said that Comin was set up to help overcome issues facing the Indian community, which were previously not taken seriously by other NGOs.

He said this was a golden opportunity for Indian NGOs to highlight the community's problems to the government.