KOTA KINABALU: The government must be politically blind when it comes to fighting poverty, says Datuk Dr Ronald Kiandee.
He said that this is especially so in Sabah, as the poverty rate here is six times the national rate
The Beluran MP said although recent figures given by Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli were already much lower than previous years, the fact that there is a gap in the poverty and development rate between peninsula and Sabah is undeniable.
“To the government, I must stress that in the bid to eradicate poverty, they must be politically blind,” he said in a statement on Saturday (March 16).
Kiandee said the government cannot practise “revenge politics” by discriminating against certain areas or constituencies just because of differences in politics.
“Initiatives by previous governments should be continued and improved with fresh strategies and ideas, especially in rural areas,” said the Bersatu vice-president.
He said socio-economic developments must be carried out in a fair and just manner, and has to be implemented urgently in the eight districts identified as the poorest in the state.
Earlier, Rafizi said that the eight poorest districts were Tongod with the highest poverty rate at 5.9%, followed by Beluran (5%), Pitas (4.8%), Kinabatangan (4.6%), Kota Marudu (4%), Tuaran (2.6%), as well as Ranau and Lahad Datu at 2.4% each.
He said this during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (March 14).
On this, Kiandee said the statistics were lower than it was previously as recorded in the 11th Malaysian Plan half-term study report.
“For example, in the RMK-11 half-term report, Beluran’s poverty rate stood at 12.1% but it has gone down to 5%, same goes with Tongod which stood at 19.7% down to 5.9%,” he said.
This shows how proper strategies must continue to be in place to bring people out of poverty, he added.
Kiandee said collaborative efforts from all parties in the country were needed to bring communities out of poverty and that there should not be finger pointing to ensure efforts are laid out efficiently.
He urged both state and federal governments to work together and focus on what’s best for the people and ensure that rural and urban folks in Sabah develop on par with other states in this country.
