Hajiji calls for cooperation to eradicate hardcore poverty

KOTA KINABALU: Eradicating hardcore poverty in Sabah would only be possible if those in this category took the initiative to work with the government, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

The Sabah Chief Minister said the people must try to help themselves through the various programmes and initiatives to reduce the number of hardcore poor.

“The government is doing its best to end hardcore poverty. Sometimes, people do not want to make an effort to better themselves. It is tough if they are unwilling to take the initiative,” he said.

Hajiji, a Sulaman assemblyman, said this when answering supplementary questions posed by assemblymen in the State Assembly sitting here on Monday (April 22).

Earlier during the question-and-answer session, he said Sabah's latest poverty eradication programme would be based on the updated Poverty Line Income 2022 benchmark, which has increased from RM2,537 to RM2,742 starting this year.

He said the Food Poverty Line Income has also increased from RM1,179 to RM1,218, while the state has added 13 new indicators to its definition of hardcore poor.

He said that as of the latest data from March 31, 2024, Sabah’s eKasih list has decreased to around 12,555 heads of families from the previous 22,510 heads of households.

“This is the latest data we gathered from various agencies, including the Sabah Maju Jaya secretariat and the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU),” Hajiji said.

He said various government and private agencies, bodies, and businesses have been roped in to participate in poverty eradication programmes in Sabah.