Start planning now to tackle urban poverty post-MCO, govt told

Researchers say the government should put in place measures to ensure the welfare of the urban poor once the movement control order to curb the Covid-19 pandemic is lifted.

PETALING JAYA: Researchers specialising in issues surrounding urban poverty have urged the government to put in place measures to ensure that those from the B40 group can continue to earn a living once the movement control order (MCO) is lifted.

Denison Jayasooria, a former research fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said a large section of the B40 and urban poor work in the informal sector.

Speaking to FMT, he said many are self-employed and would likely run out of money during the MCO period.

For now, he urged the government to allow micro-businesses that are not in red zones to open with social distancing measures put in place.

In the long run, he suggested that job placement networks be set up and unused land be opened for farming.

He also urged Putrajaya to review local contracts for activities such as grass cutting, neighbourhood and office cleaning, and catering where foreign workers could be replaced with locals.

“There is also a need for social protection such as Socso, insurance, healthcare and saving schemes for the informal sector,” he said.

Jayanath Appudurai, a member of grassroots movement Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM), said economists had predicted that it could take anywhere from 18 months to two years for the economy to normalise once the virus outbreak subsides.

“A host of issues are associated with the poor, from substance abuse and delinquency to dropouts, child abuse, crime and mental illnesses.

“The poor depend on daily wages. Their lives will be in bad shape after the MCO,” he told FMT.

He suggested that the government form a special commission to deal with issues relating to poverty which would arise post-MCO.

He said the commission should be made answerable to Parliament, with the mandate to oversee the reduction of poverty, affirmative action and social inclusion.

Related to that, he also proposed a social inclusion act based on SABM’s research indicating that 40% of Malaysians remain trapped in an intergenerational cycle of poverty and inequality.

The act could consider long-term solutions to bring about social justice and uplift the socio-economic status of disadvantaged individuals, he said.

“Some 12 million people from poor and low-income households lack the capacity to meet their needs on a daily basis,” he said, adding that these include vulnerable individuals and groups, citizens as well as foreigners who struggle with discrimination and marginalisation.

Jayanath also criticised the country’s poverty line which, at RM980 a month for a family of four, he said was unrealistic.

“In terms of relative poverty, our estimations are 19% to 20% of the population,” he said.

Relative poverty refers to those who lack the minimum amount of income needed to maintain the average standard of living in their society.

According to World Bank recommendations, he said, the threshold should be at RM2,770 per household.

He also said the relative poverty line for Malaysians should be 60% of median monthly household income, equivalent to RM3,150. - FMT