KUALA LUMPUR — The government’s approach to addressing hardcore poverty is inclusive and non-discriminatory, and ensures that all needy citizens, regardless of race, receive assistance, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The majority of the country’s poor are among the Malay and Bumiputera communities, but all races including Chinese and Indians also have poor, and all affected will be helped, he added.
“It is true the majority are Malays, but a significant portion of the poorest are from the Indian community. For instance, in Kuala Lumpur, the majority are Malay but the Indian community is large and compared to the total population, the number (of Indian poor) is high.
“When addressing hardcore poverty, we do not do so based on race. Therefore, we will address the needs of all the poor, including the small number in the Chinese community and the larger number in the Indian community,” Anwar said during the Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Addressing “friends from the Indian community”, Anwar said it is not true at all that the government’s poverty-eradication efforts are only meant for the Malays.
“It is not true to say that it is only for the Malays, but of course this number is large and the majority is the Malay community.
“I hope with this explanation, it is clear and if there is are any statement to the contrary, you can inform me because this is against our policy.
“Whoever belongs is hardcorepoor, as long as he is a citizen, he must be helped without discrimination,” Anwar said.
he prime minister was responding to a supplementary question from S. Kesavan (PH-Sungai Siput) on addressing hardcore poverty and the implementation of initiatives to eradicate poverty to cover all races, including the Indian community.
In response to an original question from Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PN-Rantau Panjang) regarding the government’s efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty, Anwar said that as of Jan 31 last year, a total of 126,372 household heads were under the hardcore poor category and the issue was resolved by July 29 this year.
“However, we are aware that the number has increased, as the success of this initiative has led to new registrations. By July 29, we had resolved the initial cases, and on Aug 1, we reopened for new requests, including older ones that felt the need to apply again. This amounts to 22,893.
“As of Oct 21 this year, 15,029 household heads or 65.6 per cent of the hardcore poor cases have been resolved, and we will continue to work on addressing the remaining cases,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the cooperation between federal and state government agencies has contributed to the increase in new registrations for the hardcore poor, thus facilitating the government’s efforts to lift them out of poverty. – October 22, 2024