OVER 115,000 households in Sabah benefitted from various poverty eradication initiatives under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Development Plan 1.0, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, said.
He said hardcore poverty in Sabah was declared eradicated on July 31, 2024, under Phase One of the programme, based on data from January 2023.
“The state government has no intention to review the decisions regarding the eradication of hardcore poverty in Phase One as the work has been completed and finalised,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Sabah Legislative Assembly today.
Nizam said data from the federal e-Kasih database, updated in September, recorded 3,978 households as still being in the hardcore poor category due to changes in household size, income, and other factors.
The SMJ Friendly Housing Programme has delivered 2,908 housing units, with another 1,578 units under construction and scheduled for completion by the end of this year.
“Starting in 2025, the allocation will increase to 40 units per constituency, involving 3,000 houses across the state at a cost of RM250 million,” he said.
The programme has also created job opportunities, with 220 individuals employed under the MySMJ Kerja initiative through partnerships with government agencies and state-linked companies.
He also highlighted cash assistance programs such as the Rahmah Cash Contribution (STR) and Rahmah Basic Assistance (SARA), which have aided 58,463 and 50,556 households, respectively.
A total of RM40.13 million has been distributed under the STR program, while RM58.79 million was allocated for SARA, providing direct cash aid to households in the poor and hardcore poor categories.
“To ensure no one is left behind, the state is tracing unregistered households eligible for aid. Field profiling identified 268 unregistered households due to issues such as transportation, financial constraints, and lack of access to online registration systems,” Nizam said.
He added that the Sabah Poverty Database System (PADANS), owned and developed by the state, will enable better tracking, intervention, and cross-referencing of poverty data.
“The state is also refining poverty surveys using 13 additional indicators tailored for Sabah to ensure more targeted and effective interventions,” Nizam said.
The government is now preparing for Phase Two of the poverty eradication program in 2025, focusing on housing, education, targeted cash aid, welfare, subsistence economy, and employment.
“We remain committed to addressing not only hardcore poverty but also poverty in general through collaboration with the federal government,” Nizam said. – November 19, 2024.
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