Mukhriz: Increasing poverty line better than not acknowledging problem

Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir said increasing the poverty line to spur more rigorous policies to help the poor is better than refusing to acknowledge the problem.

He said this in response to the finding by UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston, who said Malaysia was "severely under-reporting" its poverty numbers due to an unrealistically low poverty line.

He said the government should take its own initiative to increase the poverty line from a monthly income of RM980 per household to RM1,200.

"If we move the poverty line to RM1,200 a month, that would mean more people would be recognised as being poor.

"For me, it is not that we want more poor people but with the acknowledgement, we can do everything in our power to be more aggressive in helping the poor.

"We can approve the budget for various aids. That is better than refusing to acknowledge there are still poverty problems in the country, including Kedah," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mukhriz said he is prepared to adopt an open mind to Alston's report.

"I understand that the federal government will study in detail what the UN representative meant but for me, whatever policy or action by the federal government to assist the poor is welcomed," he said.

Alston had said Malaysia's poverty rate of 0.4 percent was unrealistic and the actual figure was closer to 15 percent.

"The use of a very low and highly unrealistic poverty line obscures the more troubling reality that millions of families scrape by on very low incomes and there is significant hardship in urban as well as rural areas," he had said.

Earlier, Mukhriz attended the launch of Qatar Airways' flight from Doha to Langkawi via Penang. 

Also present was Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar al-Baker and Qatar ambassador to Malaysia Fahad Mohammed Kafoud.

On the Qatar Airways flight, Mukhriz said there would be five trips a week.

He stressed that the flights by the five-star carrier won't hurt existing flights by low-cost carriers as it can help spur the hotel sector on the holiday island. - Mkini