KUALA LUMPUR: Rafizi Ramli, the Economy Minister, clarified that any figures related to poverty in the country are solely based on official statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). His statement, made during the Budget 2024 debates at the committee stage, was in response to concerns raised by MPs about discrepancies in the total number of people in poverty and hardcore poor categories.
Rafizi explained that the discrepancies arose from the eKasih and iDamak databases, which showed a different set of numbers. These databases have been in operation since 2007, resulting in two sets of running numbers. Therefore, any decision on poverty numbers is made based on official statistics from DOSM.
He also highlighted the challenges associated with the eKasih database, such as filtering and updating the figures. Some individuals who were previously registered in the eKasih database continued to receive aid even though they were now financially stable.
Rafizi emphasized the need to rely on official statistics reports for the country’s poverty rate, which showed that 0.2% or approximately 18,000 households were classified as hardcore poor, while 6% of the population or 206,000 households fell below the poverty line.
He also mentioned various government programs, such as the People’s Income Initiative (IPR), aimed at assisting the B40 income groups, including those classified as hardcore poor and those below the poverty line.
Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim inquired about the fate of those who were not listed in the hardcore poor category based on DOSM statistics despite being identified as such in the eKasih database. Rafizi responded by explaining that both sets of figures were accurate, but the differences were in the number of hardcore poor households and those below the poverty line.
He assured that the government’s goal to end hardcore poverty focused on the 18,000 households in that category, while the others would continue to receive aid as usual. In addition, Rafizi announced that the white paper on the progressive wage policy would be presented in Parliament on Nov 30.
