PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced ambitious plans to eradicate hardcore poverty in Sabah by the end of July, signalling a determined effort to uplift the state’s most vulnerable communities.
Addressing attendees at Sabah’s Kaamatan celebration in Penampang, Anwar expressed confidence in the state’s capacity to achieve this target, citing a significant reduction in the number of households classified as hardcore poor from 20,000 to 9,000.
“Households in hardcore poverty cannot even afford essential items such as school uniforms, proper meals or even infant formula for babies,” remarked Anwar.
“We want to eradicate hardcore poverty in Sabah by the end of July 2024. This is our top priority. We can talk about other issues, but if our children do not have enough to eat, we have to do something.”
Moreover, Anwar’s announcement follows previous indications of the government’s commitment to addressing poverty in Sabah, albeit without a specified deadline.
“Aside from efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty, the state is also looking into resolving the issue of dilapidated schools and problems with water supply, especially since they involve allocations approved by the federal government,” he added.
According to him, the decision to exclude Sabah and Sarawak in the new diesel subsidy rationalisation programme was due to the widespread use of diesel in the two states. – May 31, 2024
