KL’s hardcore poor shot up by 270% after pandemic

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THE number of hardcore poor in Kuala Lumpur shot up by nearly 270% over two years.

Data from the Federal Territories Ministry showed that there were 3,865 hardcore poor families in 2021 compared to only 1,048 in 2019.

According to the national poverty standard, a household is considered hardcore poor if their monthly income is below RM1,169.

The number of poor families in the same period also showed a drastic 41% increase, going from 2,871 in 2019 to 4,051 last year.

A poor household is one whose monthly income is below RM2,208, after a revision in 2020 which previously saw the figure at RM980.

Putrajaya, meanwhile, recorded a more than 20-fold climb in the number of poor households, from only three in 2019 to 67 last year.

Labuan followed a similar pattern, with a 170% surge, from 593 households in 2019 to 1,605 in 2021.

Its population of hardcore poor also swelled by some 300%, going from 163 in 2019 to 654 last year.

The number of poor and hardcore poor in the Federal Territories is expected to soar again next year when the poverty line is revised.

On March 7, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed told the Dewan Rakyat that this might take place in the first quarter of 2023.

He said the government, under the 12th Malaysia Plan, was committed to eradicating hardcore poverty.

Malaysia’s poverty rate, he noted, had changed significantly in the last five decades, owing to overall economic growth and the New Economic Policy.

“However, the country continues to face several challenges, such as the poor who still exist in urban and rural areas, as well as in Orang Asli settlements.

“The issue of low wages, as well as regional inequality, coupled with the impacts of the Covid-19, have impacted household income,” Mustapa was quoted as saying.

On March 28, Deputy Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias told Dewan Negara that a unit had been set up under the ministry to address the rising urban poverty issue.

He said a task force would be formed to supply essential goods to the needy in view of the upcoming Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. — By FARID WAHAB