DAILY EXPRESS NEWS Why Sabah's poverty highest
11 October, 2006 Kota Kinabalu: Sabah's higher cost of living compared to other states has been identified as the reason why it's poverty level is the highest in the nation. It also holds the dubious distinction of having the highest Poverty Income Line (PGK) in urban areas, which is RM886 per household. Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said Sarawak fared better at RM777 a month per household while Johor, RM624, Kedah (RM625), Pahang (RM583) and Perak (RM584). According to him, 60 per cent of people in Malaysia are already residing in urban areas or within the local authorities (PBTs) rating areas. "The phenomenon of poverty is not prevalent in rural areas only but also happening in urban areas," he said after distributing assistance under the Town Poverty Eradication Programme of the Ministry at the Menggatal community hall, here, Tuesday. Also present were his Deputy Minister, Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department Datuk Edward Khoo, Local Government and Housing Assistant Minister Edward Yong, Industrial Development Assistant Minister Hajah Jainab Ahmad, Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim and Inanam Assemblyman Johnny Goh. Ong said the PGK in Sabah was higher than the rest of Malaysia due to the high cost of living here. It is for this reason, he said, that the Government really needs the PBTs to implement poverty eradication programmes so as to help those in the poor category. He said the PBTs could start by identifying poor families in their respective areas since they are closer to the communities they serve. "The information would be stored in a database and used by the Ministry to channel assistance to the poor," he said. With closer ties between the State and Federal governments and the PBTs, as urban managers, he said they could do even more to help achieve the objectives of the poverty eradication programme. He said urban migration was often linked with the poor who harbour hopes of better lives in the urban areas. However, he said little do they know that life in the urban is full of challenges and pressures. Hence, the poor in urban areas must also be given attention and this is where the PBTs can help the government through the eradication poverty programme during the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), he said. Just as what Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had targeted when presenting the Budget 2007, he said the Government hoped to reduce the poverty rate to 2.8 per cent by 2010. Nevertheless, he said the success of the Government's programmes would largely depend on the target group improving their lives by responding positively to the programmes. The education project and training as well as family income generation projects, he said were among ways to help these families achieve the objective. Ong also advised the parents of the families categorised in the poor bracket to never give up but to persevere. "If you have children, make sure you give them education until the highest level as possible," he said adding that the Government has many channels to assist them achieve their dreams such as loans or scholarships.