Since the days of the National Economic Consultative Council, I have been involved with issues related to urban poverty especially on aspects impacting the Indian Malaysian community.

Although I have done some work in relation to poverty among the Orang Asli communities, and visited poverty-stricken areas in Perak and Pahang, it is only recently that I have begun to seriously look into this problem among the bumiputeras.

Often one thinks that the government machinery responds quickly and decisively to address poverty concerns of the bumiputeras. However, my recent experiences showed otherwise. The poor are not only economically disadvantaged but also seldom have a voice in how public resources are allocated and spent.

The plight of the Orang Asli in the Peninsular and that of the Penan in interior Sarawak clearly illustrate such dilemmas and struggles.