Local Councils Have Six Months To Get Statistics On Urban Poor

from Bernama

Local councils (LAs) in the state have six months to get the current actual figures on urban poverty in Sarawak, that will be the vital element to ensure only deserving applicants would receive assistance under the urban poverty eradication programme.

The state Environment and Public Health Minister Datuk Michael Manyin Jawong said the only figure available as far as urban poverty was concerned was from a random survey being conducted almost three years ago which had put the urban poor population in Sarawak at 3,768 people with another 114 being hardcore poor.

"Give us another six months and we would come up with a more realistic figure," he told reporters at a joint press conference with Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew after a briefing on the implementation of the urban poverty eradication programme here Wednesday.

The briefing was part of a three-day statewide roadshow that started last Monday in Kuching to explain on the programme, which was launched by the Housing and Local Government Ministry last year through a fund of RM50 million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Manyin said verifications of genuine cases of those needing assistance under the programme came as the greatest problem in its implementation in the state and cooperation from LAs and grassroot leaders were called for to ensure that the fund disbursed would reach only those eligible.

"The community leaders and NGos help us to really identify who are the real poor. If we don't get the real poor and (yet) some who are not entitled got it (government assistance), this will be a subject of dispute," he added.

He said that those vetting the applications at the LA level should not only look through the forms submitted to them but should also cross check the information with the supporting documents.

"Whether this programme will be successful or not will be very much determined by the reduction of poverty that we will have for the next few years. If there is no reduction, then this programme is not successful," said Manyin, adding that the government target was to reduce the present poverty rate to 2.8 per cent by 2010.

Meanwhile, Lau said the assistance rendered under this programme would be limited for one year and subjected to review thereafter to ensure that the recipients would make efforts to improve their livelihood rather than being dependent on government's hand-outs.

"The recipients would need to come back to us if they feel that they need further assistance. Otherwise, they would get into the syndrome of welfare state and made no efforts to come out from the poverty line," he added.