KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - An Indian-based business association claims Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia has not given loans to any of the 200 people it had recommended this year.

Malaysian Indian Business Association (Miba) president P. Sivakumar said the list of applicants for micro-financing was compiled after a nationwide survey.

"We sent the list to AIM but to date none of the candidates had received loans," he said when commenting on an article in the New Straits Times Economic Report 2008/2009 pullout entitled "Wider access to micro loans."

Sivakumar said AIM, which was set up to help all Malaysians, should reveal how much it had disbursed to poor Indians over the last six months.

"It should be transparent by releasing the list. We want to know why AIM is not giving poor Indians a chance to benefit from its micro-financing services," he said.

The report had stated that AIM had helped 190,000 so far, disbursing RM2.6 billion in micro-financing to members, nearly all of whom were women.

Sivakumar suggested that AIM set up a special board with representatives from Indian non-governmental organisations to help channel funds.

Meanwhile, AIM consultant for the Indian community, Dr M. Sivalingam, said Miba should send its complaints to the chairman of the AIM board.

He said AIM would entertain requests from any group or individual who required loans.

"However, the procedure is there should be at least 10 participants in a particular area, who have a family income of less than RM600 for rural people and less than RM2,000 for urban dwellers."