Sabah targets below one per cent poverty rate by 2020

By Olivia Miwil - November 15, 2018 @ 4:54pm

Sabah Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedict (left) said the target was achievable with integrated efforts between state and federal governments in implementing various programmes and poverty eradication projects by improving basic infrastructure in rural areas.--fotoBERNAMA

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has aimed to bring the poverty rate in the state to below one per cent by 2020 or before the commencement of 12th Malaysian Plan.

Sabah Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick said the target was achievable with integrated efforts between state and federal governments in implementing various programmes and poverty eradication projects by improving basic infrastructure in rural areas.

“The state ministry would work with the federal minister in forming work committees and high-level committees on planning and monitoring projects in rural areas which will be implemented next year.

“We will also work to refine, update and digitalise the profile of districts and villages statewide for better management in future,” he said in reply to question by Matbali Musah (BN-Lumadan) during the 15th state assembly sitting on the poverty rate in Sabah and new programmes being implemented by new government.

Ewon added that the latest poverty rate in Sabah stood at 2.9 per cent in 2016 from 4 per cent in 2014.

As for the new programmes introduced under the new government, he said the ministry has initiated a programme on rural and small scale tourism to generate income and increase the standard of living of the people.

“The ministry is finalising the process before officially launching it with the Tourism, Culture and Environment ministry.

“Besides that, an approach will be taken to improve existing programmes such as Mini Estate Sejahtera (MESEJ),” he added.

Meanwhile, to a supplementary question by Matbali on the difficulties in eradicating poverty in Sabah, Ewon said one of the factors is the people’s dependency on government’s aid such as that under the E-Kasih programme.