PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said significant progress has been made in efforts to eradicate poverty among Malaysians, and the goal is nearly achieved.
“Alhamdulilah, as of December, we have nearly resolved this problem. There are still those who are poor, but the ones I am referring to are in poverty.
“The ones who had issues putting food on the table, the ones who cannot buy milk for their babies, or school uniforms for their children. We have resolved this,” he said in his speech in Penampang today.
Anwar is in Sabah for a one-day working visit, and was at the Petty Traders and Hawkers Day event at Buhavan Square.
Anwar credited the success to the cooperation of all officers in the civil service, including those in the districts.
The poverty rate in Malaysia was 6.2% in 2022 and the figures are declining according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Anwar also vowed to eradicate poverty absolutely by the end of 2023.
Earlier, Anwar advised leaders that they can discuss any issues but their top priority should be to the people and unity.
“I wish to start off with this explanation. We in this country must bring about the spirit of unity. We must handle issues that are divisive like regionalism, religion and race with care.
“Often, what is divisive benefits the higher-ups. The people want assurances for their livelihoods, their wages, the prices of electricity and roads, amenities, and the education of their children.
“So, my advice to any leader is, when they speak, they should not forget to uphold and safeguard the trust we have and prioritise the interests of the people,” he said.
Anwar also said the government will start focusing on improving workers’ remunerations in 2024.
He said the government will prioritise the decision whether to increase the salary of civil servants next year while planning to introduce a progressive wage scheme to workers in the private sector.
“The salaries of civil servants have not been reviewed for 10 years, and for those who have been working for 12 years, we need to make a decision next year to increase civil servant salaries.
“Some companies make hundreds of millions in profit, but only pay employees between RM1,800 to RM2,000 a month.
“This is not in the Madani concept. The Madani concept is about being civilised with generosity, with a sense of compassion.
“We want people to work; we have everyone in Sabah wanting tremendous economic growth, everyone wants new factories, but we also want to demand reasonable wages,” he said.
Anwar also said that he will instruct Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadilah Yusof to form a committee to address the higher prices of goods in Sabah and Sarawak.
He said he learnt the prices of goods like chicken, eggs, rice and other food items are still higher in the Borneo states.
“In Sabah and Sarawak, the problem is complex. We should handle this properly, and if necessary, inject more funds so that we can stay afloat with the current prices.
“We will pay subsidies to reduce prices a bit in Sabah. If we don't contain prices, they will soar,” he said. – The Vibes, December 7, 2023
