Current efforts to solve urban poverty akin to giving 'panadol' - Khalid

Current efforts to solve urban poverty are akin to trying to solve an illness with just "panadol" said Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad.

"These efforts are truly appreciated, but most of it is like giving panadol to overcome illness without resolving the problem holistically," he said at a press conference today.

Panadol or paracetamol is a pain reliever and fever reducer. However, it does not cure infections.

He said the government is currently spending millions to resolve the issue, including giving handouts but the problem persists.

Khalid hoped that a seminar on urban poverty organised by the Salam and Federal Territories foundations would be able to find the best and most practical ways to tackle the issue of urban poverty.

The seminar will involve the government, NGOs, academics and socio-economic experts, including from abroad to hash out the issue.

A United Nations (UN) report previously claimed that the national poverty rate is at 15 percent and not at 0.4 percent as reported in 2016.

Khalid said this means that the rate of urban poverty could also be higher than the current figures stated by some that 4,000 out of two million urban dwellers are poor.

"If you look at the cost of living in cities like Kuala Lumpur, if you earn just RM1,000 you could be considered as hardcore poor... because you have children and other commitments.

"Even earning RM1,500-RM2,000 could be categorised as poor if you have a lot of commitments," he said. - Mkini