Monday, January 17, 2011

Poverty eradication - is it a game of numbers?

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/1/17/nation/7813566&sec=nation

Perak’s big question –poor or not poor?

By ROSHIDI ABU SAMAH
roshidi@thestar.com.my

SITIAWAN: The Implementa­tion and Coordination Unit (ICU) of the Prime Minister’s Department has concluded that Perak has achieved “zero hardcore poor” status but the state government, ironically, believes otherwise.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said there were still poor and hardcore poor families in Perak whose data was not included in e-Kasih database (a national database system to implement and monitor anti-poverty programmes).

As such, he said the state was not satisfied with the conclusion by ICU which was made in November last year.

“I hope the Women, Family and Community Development Minis­try, which is handling the e-Kasih database, will look again at the statistics of poor and hardcore poor families in Perak.

“The current figures do not reflect the actual number of poor and hardcore poor families in the state,” he said after handing over mock house keys to 37 poor families from Lumut and Beruas yesterday.

Dr Zambry said the state government had also discovered that some families who were registered in the e-Kasih database were not entitled to receive aid.

“We have previously made a request to the ministry for the data to be checked and updated from time to time,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, Dr Zambry criticised former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for giving misleading information during a ceramah about a land matter in Kampung Masjid, Pangkor.

He said Nizar should stop making false allegations about the matter which had already been explained at a state assembly meeting last month.

Dr Zambry had told the assembly that the state had decided to buy a piece of land in Kampung Masjid, which was once occupied by 100 hardcore poor families including his mother, to prevent the families from being displaced.

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