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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Poverty: Sabah's inconvenient truth

Debating the question of how much poverty exist in Sabah is as pointless as the government's attempt to "cover up" an "inconvenient truth", says Tawau MP Chua Soon Bui.

The now globally known fact which has left the Sabah government reeling in embarrasment is continuing to split leaders along party lines.

While the government "shamelessly" glosses over the "actual' extent of poverty, the opposition is lashing back and calling them liars.

"What's the point of trying to deny it (poverty) or covering up the ‘inconvenient truth’ about the high poverty rate in the state?” asked Chua.

“They (government) can use statistics (to cover up) if they want but they certainly cannot hide the faces of the people suffering."

Chua, who is also the vice-president of the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), argued that Chief Minister Musa Aman's government should look seriously into the plight of the poor, especially those in genuine need and deserving help instead of attempting to sweep the problem under the carpet.

Faulty e-kasih programme
Chua said the World Bank Report had put Sabah down as the "poorest state in Malaysia, with 10% of the Malaysian population but 40% of the national poverty (rate).”

"This clearly reflected the (actual) situation while the state government is saying the opposite.

Denied assistance
As such, she said, the incidences of poverty for certain districts for the period before 2008 are not contained in the data bank.

Over a hundred of his constituents who, despite needing aid, were no longer classified as poverty-stricken and as such, denied assistance.

"At the same time, there are those who are no longer qualified or who have died who are still receiving aid. And among them are several civil servants,"

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