THE definition of hardcore poverty in Sabah cannot be equated with that in the peninsula, said former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
The Parti Warisan president noted that hardcore poverty in Sabah involves those earning a seasonal income, while in the peninsula, they might involve those with low-income jobs or the unemployed.
“The Prime Minister came to Sabah and promised to eradicate hardcore poverty here within two months.
“That two-month promise, I accept. I support it. It’s a good step. But what is the definition of hardcore poverty, and who are they?
“In the peninsula, whether they have a job or not, they could earn more than RM600 or less. That’s hardcore poverty for them.
“In Sabah, I asked, ‘What’s your income?’ It’s seasonal. Sometimes there’s work, sometimes there isn’t. Even fishing is seasonal. They might be lucky to earn RM300,” he said during a speech in Papar today.
Citing the instances of hardcore poverty still prevalent in many Sabah districts, Shafie said his view on poverty can be equated with the quality of federal services between Sabah and the peninsula.
In the health and education services for instance, Shafie said the facilities in West Malaysia are far better than in Sabah.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his Kaamatan address in Penampang on May 31, wants hardcore poverty in Sabah to be eradicated by the end of July this year.
Anwar appeared optimistic about achieving the target, as the number of heads of households in the hardcore poor category in Sabah has now dropped to 9,000 from 20,000 previously.
Sabah has opted to use the heads of household figure and believed to have source the hardcore poor numbers from the state e-kasih data list.
This comes after the state described the national Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022, which states Sabah’s hardcore poverty is six times higher than the national rate as outdated.
Shafie had described this previously as the government’s failure to grapple with realities and their reliance on data and statistics. – The Vibes, June 3, 2024
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