KUCHING: Sarawak commissioner for the Human Rights Association of Malaysia (Suhakam) Dr Madeline Berma, today called for more efforts to ensure that the poor and underprivileged are not left behind in the development of the state.
She said that although Sarawak received the third highest number of investments among states in the country, the state also recorded the highest number of households registered under eKasih, a database system developed to assist the government to better plan, implement and monitor poverty.
Madeline was delivering a presentation on The Future of Sarawak — What Next What Lies Ahead at the Sarawak International Business and Economic Summit, here.
She told Bernama later that according to the eKasih records last year, about 30 per cent of those in the database were Sarawakians.
The people of Kelantan came in second at 25.4 per cent, followed by Sabah, at 21.2 per cent.
Madeline also said that seven out of the 10 poorest districts in Malaysia are in Sarawak, and Sarawak is also below the national median income of RM5,228.
Sarawak only recorded RM4,163, according to the Statistics Department.
“They have to address this poverty problem, (the) state may be moving too fast,” she said. – Bernama
