MUSA: SABAH’S POVERTY RATE DECLINING

The poverty rate in Sabah will continue to decline based on a study which showed a drop of 4.5 per cent from 24.2 per cent in 2004 to 19.7 per cent in 2009. Expressing confidence, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman said the biggest decline in poverty rate was 13.2 per cent which was recorded in the interior – from 29 per cent in 2004 to 15.8 per cent five years later.

Musa who is also Finance Minister said this clearly reflected the commitment of both the state and federal governments in addressing poverty in the country. He added that all the agencies charged with the task of carrying out poverty
eradication programmes had been asked to work closely and with dedication to ensure the target groups would benefit from the programmes.

“The poverty rate will continue to decline if everyone, including government officers and implementing agencies give full cooperation,” Musa told reporters after chairing a meeting of the Steering Committee on People’s Welfare Development and Poverty Eradication Schemes here yesterday.

Among the projects to eradicate poverty were the Mini Estet Sejahtera (Mesej) projects, PPRT Plantations (PPRT), Agropolitan, 1 Azam, Housing Aid Programme, Urban Poverty Eradication Programme and Saham Bumiputera (ASB).

These programmes are for poor household heads and hardcore poor household heads registered under the e-Kasih system. Musa said thus far, at 12 out of 29 oil palm rubber Mesej estates and six Mesej micro estates had been fully developed while a survey and application for land were being done for another four new ones for implementation next year.

“All these Mesej projects are expected to involve over 2,000 hardcore poor heads of household,” he said, adding that the state government was also considering to implement another PPRT in Nabawan, in addition to the two existing ones in Tongod and Kalabakan.

And according to Musa, 1,167 hardcore household heads at thePPRT plantations in Tongod and Kalabakan were receiving a monthly dividend of RM400 each.

“There are also job opportunities and housing facilities in these plantations,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said 1,143 of the 1,400 new houses under the Housing Aid Programme carried out by the various local authorities had been completed as of September 5 this year.

He said another 600 units were at various stages of implementation, bringing to 2,000 the total number of such houses approved for this year and at a cost of RM100 million.

A total of 7,147 units had been approved since the programme was launched in 2010.

Source: Daily Express