KUALA LUMPUR — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged Malaysians to stay united and embrace diversity ahead of the Deepavali celebrations tomorrow, as he said the opposition was attempting to racialise development funding for the country’s minority communities.
Speaking to thousands at the Madani Deepavali Open House in Brickfields here, Anwar said the progress Malaysia has achieved would have been impossible without unity among its multiracial population.
“This multiracial, multireligious character is very fundamental. We take it for granted, we assume it’s part of our tradition and culture, but we would be wrong. This is unique to Malaysia, and we must do whatever is necessary to preserve this unity and the affection that we have for all races in this country,” he said.
“It’s not easy to navigate a multiracial country like ours. When we raise some funds for the Bumiputera, the Chinese will say something. When we give more projects to the Indians, the Malays will claim they have been abandoned,” the prime minister added.
These “narratives”, Anwar continued, could be heard across rural areas and cities, including in Parliament.
The government has faced criticism over its handling of Indian affairs, with some detractors citing the problems besetting the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) as evidence.
But the prime minister said his administration has done more than just giving money to Mitra. One of the key development funds he approved to date was RM1 billion in housing credit specifically for the Indian community.
The housing allocation was raised to RM1.6 billion under Budget 2026, while RM600 million was earmarked for insurance schemes. The government also added 1,500 additional spots for Indian students in public universities.
“Mitra is just a small portion of what we have done,” Anwar said.
Earlier this week, Mitra chairman P. Prabakaran said issues with leadership continuity may have shaped the perception that the organisation had failed to make a significant impact.
