MIRI – A nationwide survey on the country’s poverty will be conducted to reach out to the nation’s poor and those suffering from financial woes due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the survey, undertaken by federal and state agencies, was needed to address the surge in poverty across the country.
“The vicious cycle of poverty across the country has increased throughout this past year due to the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The unprecedented scale of the impact has not been seen in our country since the days before independence.
“There is an increasing number of citizens suffering today and I am calling for a major nationwide exercise to locate them.
“I want to know where they are, what sort of situation they are in, and how we can help them regain their footing.
“We need to generate revenue to help them,” said Muhyiddin when addressing civil servants at a gathering in Kuching.
He said the exercise will also cover Sarawak, requiring the state government to assist in the survey.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin also said troublesome and outdated bureaucratic procedures in the civil service that hinder smooth business processes must be removed.
He said there are many procedures that impede registration and permit approval, as well as applications for government aid and incentives.
"We need to review and amend these procedures and policies, which are bogged down by bureaucratic red-tape.
"Review, amend, or remove these procedures at the state and local council levels," he said.
Muhyiddin said Putrajaya is aiming for full digitalisation by 2025.
There are about 80,000 civil servants in Sarawak. – The Vibes, April 1, 2021
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