Poverty level in Sabah drops

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KOTA KINABALU: Based on the household income survey by the national Statistics Department 2009, the poverty level in Sabah has dropped from 24.2 per cent in 2004 to 19.7 per cent in 2009.

The poverty rate in all divisions except Sandakan also showed a decrease in the same period, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said in reply to Senator Maijol Mahap’s question in the Dewan Negara two days ago.

In Tawau the poverty rate dropped from 25.2 per cent to 23 per cent while in the west coast, it went down from 14.1 per cent to 8.0 per cent, Nor Mohamed disclosed.

In Kudat, it was 41.0 per cent and the figure went down to 39.7 per cent, he said, adding that the drop in the interior of Sabah was almost double, from 29.0 per cent to 15.8 per cent.

“Only Sandakan recorded an increase, from 18.7 per cent to 19.1 per cent,” Nor Mohamed said.

The reduction in the poverty rate proved that the government’s efforts to reduce the poverty rate had been successful, he pointed out.

Maijol wanted to know the latest poverty rate in Sabah.

According to him, the figures released by the Economic Planning Unit in 2004 showed that the poverty rate in Nabawan was 70.8 per cent, Kudat 41.7 per cent, Pitas 46.3 per cent, Kota Marudu 37.1 per cent, 36.0 per cent in Kota Belud, 20.5 per cent in Tuaran, 38.2 per cent in Ranau, 35.1 per cent in Beluran, 6.7 per cent in Penampang, 8.4 per cent in Kota Kinabalu, 15.3 per cent in Sandakan, 14.3 per cent in Kuala Penyu, 14.7 per cent in Papar, 44 per cent in Tambunan, 15.8 per cent Sipitang, 20.3 per cent in Beaufort, 30.1 per cent in Keningau, 30.8 per cent in Kinabatangan, 31.6 per cent in Tenom, 35.7 per cent in Tongod, 21.3 per cent in Lahad Datu, 38.6 per cent in Kunak, 38.1 per cent in Semporna and 21.4 per cent in Tawau.

He also wanted to know the effectiveness of the government’s efforts to reduce the poverty incidents in those districts.

Nor Mohamed explained that the implementation of the household income survey by the national Statistics Department was to collect information on the distribution of household income and to set up a data base for the calculation of the poverty line.

The survey uses a sample survey method where the model of the sampling encompasses all data at the state and district levels in all divisions in Sabah, he said.