‘High time to draw up new poverty agenda’

Expert advice: Firas (left) and Simler are among the economic specialists urging Malaysia to act swiftly to reduce national poverty.

KUALA LUMPUR: The World Bank is calling for Malaysia to put in place a new poverty agenda, adding its voice to the United Nations and other academicians for this to include a new updated national poverty line.Its representative to Malaysia and country manager Dr Firas Raad said there was a “precious window of opportunity” for the country to make deep-quality changes in poverty reduction and social spending.

He said this was because the government was drafting its next national development plan, the 12th Malaysia Plan, which would likely see the country cross the threshold to high-income nation status.