BLIND…Is Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman blind that he can't see the abject poverty in his own backyard in Sandakan?
By: LUKE RINTOD
SABAH Chief Minister Musa Aman stands accused of misleading the people when he declared that hard-core poverty was eradicated in Sabah.
Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMa) Deputy President, Daniel John Jambun, said that it was a gross deception as anyone could still easily pinpoint hard-core poor families in any district in Sabah.
“Be they in the interior, on islands, or even within the vicinity of urban areas like Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and even at Musa’s own backyard in Sandakan, they are easy to spot,” Daniel said.
After setting the Dec 31, 2010 target to wipe out poverty in the state, Musa a few days ago declared that his government had successfully fulfilled its pledge to the consternation of the people.
This was same assurance he gave earlier last year when he surprised all by declaring that Tawau is the first town in Malaysia to rid itself of hard-core poor households.
One Sabah Umno leader in an off-the-cuff comment at the time said it was a ‘hollow and dangerous’ declaration as it would mean that the federal government would no longer make special funds available to eradicate poverty in the state.
According to Daniel, poverty-ridden households would never be eradicated unless a different definition of hard-core poor is used.
Economist Dr James Alin of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) defines hard-core poor households as those who do not have good shelter, sufficient food, clothes and who lack access and the ability to pay for their basic necessities like electricity, water, medicines and schooling.
According to him, disabled persons and unemployed single mothers could also fall into this category.
Soaring prices
If this definition is used, then Musa’s claim that there was no more abject poverty would be misleading. This, despite the fact that the government had built wooden houses for some of the hardcore poor families.
“The families would still need money to feed their family and to pay their bills. Musa’s computerised report just does not tally with what we can see on the ground.
“Hundreds of families everywhere – Pensiangan, Nabawan, Banggi, Semporna, Ranau, and Kota Belud and on the many islands – are still living in abject poverty.
“Many live in dilapidated houses, with no water and electricity. Is this what Musa means when he says no more hard-core poor?” Daniel asked.
Daniel also alleged that many children are not going to school or dropping out of school, including college students who gave up their studies to go to work to ease their family’s financial burden.
“There are even BN leaders who complained of unfairness in the distribution of e-kasih aid to poor and hard-core poor families like those in Tenom as reported recently.
“The only thing preventing more poor families falling into the hardcore category right now is the soaring prices of commodities like rubber latex, which has tremendously helped thousand of families in Sabah,” he said.
Naughty trick
But Daniel pointed out the improved condition of living was not the effort of Musa-led Sabah government.
He said that in fact, the Sabah Rubber Industry Board (LIGS) owes rubber tappers hundreds of thousand of ringgit because it failed to pay them on the spot when buying rubber from them.
“Either Musa tell us how his people plan to manage the cash-flow of LIGS, or remove its lackadaisical management if the state is serious about helping alleviate poverty.
“Certainly BN has failed to acknowledge that it did not fulfil its election promise to eradicate abject poverty by 2010.
“The problem is BN refuses to admit its failure and instead is trying to mislead the people and the world.
“Or, could it be just a naughty trick to say there is no hard-core poor families now, only to admit later that yes, they are coming back in droves and we need money for this?” he asked.
Late last year, the World Bank’s 2010 Malaysia Economic Monitor revealed that Sabah remains the poorest state in Malaysia.
World Bank human development director (Southeast Asia and Pacific region), Emmanuel Jimenez, said that a large percentage of poor people remaining in Malaysia are in Sabah, and most of them live in the rural areas.
The opposition latched on the disclosure and demanded to know what the BN government had done to alleviate the problem despite 16 years of rule. sabahkinimirror
