Where did Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi get his statistics on the incidence of poverty in Sabah and Sarawak?

abdul ghapur salleh Asking this question today, Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) said his figures on the matter derived from Sabah's Economic Planning Unit (EPU) differed from those cited by the prime minister.

Abdullah - who is also finance minister - said last week in his speech on the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan that efforts to eradicate poverty have yielded good results.

In Sabah, said Abdullah, the incidence of poverty had declined from 23 percent in 2004 to 16 percent in 2007. In Sarawak, meanwhile, poverty had declined from 7.5 percent to 4.2 percent.

"I do not know where the statistics were gotten from regarding Sabah," said the outspoken Sabahan MP during his debate speech on the midterm review.

"Previously, I have said that the incidence of poverty in Sabah is 24 percent. In his midterm review speech, the finance minister said 16 percent.

"I do not know where this 16 percent came from. Is it from Sabah EPU or the Federal EPU (in Putrajaya)?" he asked.

Abdul Ghapur said the government should not seek to band about questionable figures to serve its 'pride' in its efforts to eradicate poverty.

"Let's not utter and take pride in statistics that indicate poverty in Sabah and poverty in Sarawak have declined when we do not know the right statistics. We do not have the right statistics," he asserted.

Short-term aims

Abdul Ghapur was also peeved with the announcements of billions of ringgit in development funds that have been allocated to Sabah and Sarawak when these two states still languish in poverty and backwardness.

"We do not want to be given billions (of ringgit) but see no positive action being taken ... We do not want the minister saying we have been given billions while not knowing where the billions of ringgit have gone," he said.

Describing the New Economic Policy (NEP) as having "failed" to improve the general lot of bumiputeras and having achieved "16 to 18 percent" of its planned targets, Abdul Ghapur said a new policy should be formulated with short-term aims that was more in sync with present circumstances instead of one that would take place for 30 or 40 years.

"The ones who formulated the NEP are not even here any longer. Formulate a policy for 5-10 years, only then can we see whether it fails or succeeds," said Abdul Ghapur.

The calling for bumiputera and Malay rights to be upheld need not mean that the rights of non-bumiputeras should be denied, Abdul Ghapur stressed.

Social contract

He criticised, however, the Bar Council for organising recently a forum to challenge the social contract.

The social contract is said to be the agreement reached informally between the various ethnic communities that bumiputeras would be granted special privileges in the matter of business, employment and educational opportunities in return for citizenship to the immigrant races.

At the recently held Bar Council forum, some quarters had argued that there was no such thing as the social contract.

Lashing out at this, Abdul Ghapur said the Bar Council should not raise such sensitive matters as the interests of Malays and bumiputeras as it would "disturb" their stability.

On another matter, Abdul Ghapur took up the call by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the government to give him his day in court so as to address claims that he had abused his powers and threatened judges into towing the government line.

"Why not bring him to court if there was abuse of power? Bring him. He is willing to be brought to court so he can explain what the issues are in the judiciary. If there was abuse of power, the people want to know. I want to know!"

"It is not good for somebody who has contributed so much during the 22 years (as prime minister) to be accused of such things," Abdul Ghapur added.