Help hardcore poor folks irrespective of politics, Kiandee says
Published on: Monday, March 18, 2024
Ronald said poverty is a socio-economic issue that crosses political boundaries. - FMT pic
Kota Kinabalu: Beluran Member of Parliament, Datuk Ronald Kiandee, said political affiliations shouldn’t discriminate against poverty in Sabah.
According to him, efforts of the previous government must be continued and improved through new ideas with focus on rural areas.
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“Socio-economic justice must be implemented with development of infrastructure in the eight districts in Sabah that recorded high incidences of poverty.
“Stop pointing fingers… Federal and State governments need to focus all efforts together.
“The speed of Sabah’s economy as often proclaimed by the State government needs to be benefited by people living outside the city,” he said in a statement, recently.
Ronald, who is also Vice President of Parti Bersatu Pribumi Malaysia (Bersatu), said poverty is a socio-economic issue that crosses political boundaries.
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He said it demands the accountability of all parties, especially the government, to formulate the best strategy to enable the community and the country to get out of poverty.
Ronald said Sabah is trailing behind other states, especially in terms of economic progress and infrastructure development.
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According to him, the poverty incidence rate of 1.2 per cent in Sabah, which is six times higher than the national rate of 0.2 per cent, as announced by the Minister of Economy needs to be accepted and evaluated maturely.
“For that reason, the issue of poverty and the significant development gap between the peninsula and Sabah continues to be raised in the Dewan Rakyat by Sabah MPs,” he said.
However, Ronald said it needs to be explained that the poverty rate announced by the government had decreased significantly.
He said the Half-Term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK-11) recorded Beluran’s poverty rate at 12.1 per cent – it has now dropped to five per cent.
Tongod, the poorest district, also recorded a significant decrease from 19.7 per cent to 5.9 per cent.
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