Malaysia:- Malay(50%), Chinese(22%), Sabah/Sarawak Natives(12%), Indians(7%),..?

Malaysia(2010) - Malay(50%), Chinese(22%), Sabah/Sarawak Natives(12%), Indians(7%), Others(1%), Non-Malaysians (8%) - Departments of Statistics Malaysia

50% of the Malaysian population are Malays, according to Department of Statistics Malaysia. It is interesting that it has now become rather difficult to find the percentage of Malays in Malaysia, for unlike before when ethnic breakdowns were provided - nowadays, we do not get Malay statistics - only the collective 'Bumiputra' statistics, and the question to ask is WHY? 

Is it an attempt to validate the amount of 'growing power', that seemed to be enjoyed by UMNO in BN? Is it an attempt to validate the relevance of UMNO - a Malay ethnic based party?

The principal Malay ethnic-based political party is UMNO(United Malays National Organisation), whereby our Prime Minister Najib Razak recently claimed that it had about '3 million members' which will be about 10% of Malaysia's population, and 20% of the total Malay population in Malaysia. Whether UMNO really still has '3 million members' is questionable? Of course, the other question is how many of these 3 million members are really still active or still consider themselves UMNO members - how many still support Najib Tun Razak? How many have long left the party - but their names are still on the register? How many knows that they are still party members?

Malaysian Malays, just like Malaysian Chinese and Indians, are really from so many different ethnic groups. 

Malays -Bugis, Batak, Minangkabau, Minang, Jawa, Melayu Kelantan,...> Malays of Arab, Chinese, Indian, Thai, Filipina, etc. descent.  [There has also been a lot of mixing through marriage - hence many a Malay, when tracing descendency will see that they are part Arab, part Chinese, part Bugis, etc...this and that.]

Chinese - Hainanese, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, TeoChew, etc

Indian - Tamil, Malayalee, Telugu, Gujerati, Punjabi, etc..  

* Many of the different ethnic groups have their own language and cultural differences...

Some say that there are over 150 different ethnic groups in Malaysia > and it means a lot of sense that we be best identified as Malaysians...

But alas, these ethnicities, even amongst Malays still matter - and it matters when it comes to marriage, and even who I will do business with... [Within the different ethnicities,  there can still be sub-ethnicities or even class differences..] 

In 1957 - the population of Peninsular Malaysia - Malay(49%), Chinese(38%), Indian(11%), Others(2%) [Source: Demographic Trends in Peninsular Malaysia, 1947-75 by Charles Hirschman]

 

Population to hit 30 million this week, Statistics Department says

BY MELISSA CHI

Wednesday February 26, 2014
06:54 AM GMT+8

UPDATED:
February 27, 2014
06:57 PM GMT+8

 

According to the Statistics Department, it is projected that Malaysia’s population will grow to 38.6 million in 2040. — Reuters pic 

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Sometime this week, or even as early as today, the 30 millionth Malaysian will be born and it will most probably be a Malay boy.

This is based on the Statistics Department’s figures that show males outnumbering females at birth, by a ratio of 107:100 and Malays form the largest segment of the population.

According to the Statistics Department, Malaysia’s population has more than tripled since it was formed in 1963.

Back in 1957 when Tunku Abdul Rahman shouted “Merdeka” seven times in the newly-built Stadium Merdeka on August 31, there were only 6.3 million Malayans.

What’s more, there were only 410,500 Sabahans and 693,200 Sarawakians then, according to the book, Malaysia’s Demographic Transition: Rapid development, Culture, Politics by Richard Lete.

This population landmark almost went unnoticed as a minister just very recently still thought Malaysia’s population was a mere 27 million.

Some expectant mothers who spoke to The Malay Mail Online were both surprised that the population had almost grown to 30 million and delighted that their babies could be the 30 millionth Malaysian.

“I’m surprised and wasn’t aware that our population is that huge. I hope he will grow up in a good and healthy environment, with a loving and caring society,” said 28-year-old Muniraa Abu Bakar from Selayang.

Meanwhile, former national swimmer Cindy Ong, 30, who is also expecting her second child tomorrow said she feels special to be part of such a historic event and hopes that her baby girl is born healthy. Her husband, Tang Kit, was just as excited.

“It’s great that she’s going to be a part of the 30 million Malaysians, we’re going to be carrying the baton of the future of Malaysia,” he said of his yet-to-be-born daughter, Kiara Belle Kit.

But Malaysia is, however, far from former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed’s vision to see a 70 million-strong population by the year 2100.

According to the Statistics Department, it is projected that Malaysia’s population will grow to 38.6 million in 2040. A rough calculation based on the projected growth rate of an average of 1 per cent, the Malaysian population will at most be 65 million in 2100.

By 2040, the Statistics Department projects that the number of Malays will increase to 20.9 million (54.1 per cent of overall population), followed by other Bumiputras, 5.2 million (13.4 per cent) and the Chinese, 7.1 million (18.4 per cent).

Meanwhile, the Indian population will increase to 2.3 million (5.9 per cent), while the non-Malaysian citizen category is expected to increase to 2.7 million (7 per cent). 

The group under others will marginally increase to 477,000 (0.8 per cent).

As of 2010, the Bumiputra group consists of 67.4 per cent, Chinese, 24.6 per cent, Indians, 7.3 per cent, others, 0.7 per cent, while non-Malaysian citizen make up 8.1 per cent.

In comparison, according to the book by Lete, based on the population of 6.3 million in the peninsula when Malaya became independent in 1957, the Malays constitute 49 per cent, Chinese, 38 per cent, Indians 11 per cent, while others, 2 per cent.

Meanwhile, the life expectancy rate has increased from 63.1 to 71.9 years for male, and 66 to 76.6 for female, from 1966 to 2010.

It is projected that the life expectancy for male in 2040 is 78 years and 83 years for female.

Between 2010 and 2040, Malaysians aged 65 years and above are projected to increase more than three folds of the 2010 population.

“The increase will lead Malaysia to become an ageing population in 2021 when the population aged 65 years and over reach 7.1 per cent,” according to the Statistics Department’s web site.

At the time of publishing, Malaysia is 940 away from becoming a nation with a 30 million population.

* A previous version of this article stated that the male to female ratio was six-to-one, when it is in fact 106:100. However, the ratio used in the story is the male to female figure at birth, which is 107:100. That, and several other figures in the story have since been corrected to reflect the actual statistics.

- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/population-to-hit-30-million-today-statistics-department-says#sthash.yR9OVCav.dpuf

Earlier Related Post:-

Malaysian statistics - population, religion, ethnicity, distribution,...

Malaysia moving towards an end of foreign worker recruitment agencies(third parties), wanting employer to directly apply for and employ migrants

On 30/10/2013, question was raised in Malaysian Parliament concerning migrant workers. Some points that were made are as follows. [Extracts for the copy of the Hansard in the Malay language obtained from Malaysian Parliamentary website is also included below] 

Total number of migrant workers in Malaysia is 2.116 million, and this includes undocumented migrant workers that were legalized following the 6P program.

They are currently employed in the following sectors

Employment Sector	Total (persons)
Manufacturing	733,000
Construction	425,000
Plantation	347,000
Services	251,000
Domestic Workers	180,000
Agriculture	179,000

The 5 main country of origin for documented migrant workers are as follows:-

Country	Total(persons)
Indonesia	935,000
Nepal	359,000
Bangladesh	319,000
Myanmar	174,000
India	117,000

On undocumented migrants, it was revealed that a total of 1.3 million undocumented workers were registered during the 6P program, of which 503,000 were legalized – became documented workers. [Those not legalized would have been detained and thereafter deported]

A new recruitment policy – no more recruitment agencies but direct dealings with the employer

What is evident is that the Minister is that the government is taking a strong position against Recruitment Agencies encouraging now employers who need workers to directly apply for migrant workers. “ we do not want to entertain again the role played by foreign worker recruitment agencies, rather would allow employers to directly apply, no more through third parties, This is because third parties generally get larger pofits. We do not want to allow what is akin to ‘slave business’ in our country.”

"...kita tidak mahu melayani semula peranan yang dimainkan oleh agensi pengambilan pekerja asing, sebaliknya pihak majikandiizinkan terus memohon, tidak melalui orang ketiga. Ini kerana orang ketiga ini lazimnya  mengaut keuntungan lebih banyak. Kita tidak mahu seolah-olah ada perniagaan hamba abdi berlaku di negara kita...."

Several steps have been taken including that we do not anymore permit foreign worker employment agencies to end their ‘dominance and behaving like kings’

“…beberapa tindakan telah dilakukan termasuk kita tidak lagi mengizinkan agensi-agensi pengambilan pekerja asing bermaharajalela..."

Crime and Migrants

On crime, the Minister said that most crimes are committed by locals, migrant workers may be only accountable for 10 – 15% of crimes.

All jobs have dignity.

Call for a change of perception by Malaysians who should take any kind of work/jobs – white collar or blue collar jobs.

Identification Cards for Migrant Workers

They will be given biometric identification cards, which will also be colour coded to indicate the sector that they are allowed to work in - discouraging movement of migrant workers from one sector to another.

2. Tuang Fong Kui Lun [Bukit Bintang]minta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan kedudukan pekerja asing yang berada di negara ini,  pecahan bilangan pekerja dengan izin dan tanpa izin pelbagai negara ehingga 30.9.2013 sertabilangan pemutihan dan apakah langkah untuk mengurangkan penggantungan negara kepada pekerja asing. 

Menteri Dalam Negeri [Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi]:Tuan Yang di-Pertua, saya ucapkan terima kasih kepada sahabat saya Yang Berhormat Bukit Bintang yang bertanyakan soalan yang agak penting bagi kegunaan untuk seluruh rakyat Malaysia. Saya ingin maklumkan kepada Dewan yang mulia ini dan kepada Ahli Yang Berhormat bahawa Pas Lawatan Kerja Sementara atau PLKS yang masih sah dan aktif sehingga tarikh yang ditanya oleh Yang Berhormat adalah seramai 2.116 juta orang. Jumlah ini termasuk PATI yang telah diputihkan dan dikeluarkan PLKS di bawah program 6P yang lalu.

Mengikut pecahan saya ingin sebutkan secara ringkas bahawa:

Sektor pekerjaan	Jumlah (orang)
Perkilangan	733,000
Pembinaan	425,000
Perladangan	347,000
Perkhidmatan	251,000
Pembantu rumah	180,000
Pertanian	179,000

Dari segi negeri yang tertinggi. Terdapat lima buahnegeri yang tertinggi yang membekalkan pekerja antaranya ialah:

Negara	Jumlah (orang)
Indonesia	935,000
Nepal	359,000
Bangladesh	319,000
Myanmar	174,000
India	117,000

Untuk statistik pendatang Tanpa Izin. Kementerian tidak mempunyai rekod yang rasmi tetapi kita boleh menjangkakan jumlah keseluruhannya kerana mengikut Program 6P yang dilakukan sebelum ini terdapat 1.3 juta PATI yang telah didaftarkan dan daripada jumlah berkenaan seramai 503,000 telah pun diputihkan. 

Apabila tempoh 6P itu tamat, kementerian Dalam Negeri dengan penyelarasan bersama kementerian-kementerian lain termasuk Kementerian Sumber Manusia dan Jawatankuasa Khas Kabinet mengenai PATI yang telah mengadakan beberapa keputusan yang telah melancarkan operasi baru iaitu Ops Bersepadu yang telah dimulakan pada 1 September yang lalu. Jelas daripada apa yang telah dilakukan, beberapa tindakan telah dilakukan termasuk kita tidak lagi mengizinkan agensi-agensi pengambilan pekerja asing bermaharajalela. 

Kita meminta mana-mana majikan yang tertipu supaya mengemukakan permohonan terus kepada Jabatan Imigresen dan mengemukakan bukti penipuan yang dilakukan termasuklah kononnya mereka telah membayar levi dan membayar lain-lain caj perkhidmatan kepada agensi pengambilan pekerja asing berkenaan untuk kita ambil tindakan. Dengan langkah itu kita harap kebergantungan kita terhadap pekerja asing dapat dikurangkan. 

Saya harap Tuan Yang di-Pertua, di dalam Dewan yangmulia ini untuk rakyat Malaysia keseluruhannya, bukan sahaja Ahli Yang Berhormat diDewan yang mulia ini tetapi saya yakin ramai di kalangan rakyat Malaysia di luar sana yangmenonton siaran langsung ini. Saya ingin memberitahu ubahlah sikap. Sikap kebergantungan kepada pekerja asing. Yang kedua, kita minta tenaga kerja di Malaysia ubah sikap supaya mengambil peluang pekerja yang sedia ada. 

Bayangkanlah kita tidak mahu menjadi sebuah negara  yang penduduknya cuma 900,000 ribu tetapi mempunyai pekerja asing seramai 3.5 juta orang.

Ertinya kebergantungan kepada pekerja asing ini telah menyebabkan ekonomi ini adalah ekonomi yang  bubble.Dalam keadaan itu, beberapa langkah yang lain yangkita ambil antaranya kita mengadakan job clearing system bersama-sama dengan Jabatan Tenaga Kerja Semenanjung Malaysia, Kementerian sumber Manusia. Dengan semua kementerian-kementerian berkaitan yang memberikan pengesahan untuk pengambilan pekerja-pekerja asing terutamanya dalam sektor perkhidmatan dan sektor perkilangan agar tenaga kerja tempatan dapat diberikan keutamaan. 

Manakala agensi kawal selia mengikut sektor masing-masing juga dirundingkan agar syarat  tertentu pengambilan pekerja asing ini dapat dipatuhi sepenuhnya. Kita juga menetapkan had umur pekerja asing hendaklah sekitar hanya daripada 18 hingga 45 tahun sahaja umur mereka. Kita juga tentunya bekerjasama dengan pihak MITI dan lain-lain juga melakukan kerja-kerja secara automasi bagi mengelakkan tenaga kerja asing dielakkan. Di samping itu saya harap semua pihak mengambil langkah positif untuk tidak menganggap blue-collar job, dengan izin sebagai pekerjaan yang tidak memberikan pulangan yang baik. Sebaliknya semua peluang pekerjaan sama ada berkolar putih atau berkolar biru harus dianggap sebagai kerja yang  halalan toyyibansupaya kita dapat memberikan peluang pekerjaan kepada rakyat negara kita ini. 

Tuan Fong Kui Lun [Bukit Bintang]:Terima kasih Tuan Yang di-Pertua, soalan tambahan. Lambakan pekerja asing sudah menjadi satuancam dan beban bagi negara dari segi keselamatan, jenayah, sosial, kebersihan, ekonomi dan sebagainya tetapi kerajaan gagal bertindak mengatasinya. Rakyat bimbang ia menjadi barah yang sukar dibendung bila dasar kerajaan tidak konsisten untuk menyekat kemasukan baru pekerja asing seperti dari Bangladesh mahupun Kemboja. Satu pihak kata sekat dan satu pihak kata  dibenarkan masuk. Soalan saya, apakah agenda sebenarnya kerajaan terhadap pekerja asing atau mengubah dasar dan syarat menjadi lebih tegas? Sejauh mana amalan rasuah dikesan berlaku dalam isu pekerja asing ini? Minta penjelasan, terima kasih. 

Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi:Yang Berhormat, saya ingin menyebutkan bahawa kadar jenayah yang dilakukan oleh pekerja asing hanya sekitar antara 10% hingga 15% sahaja, ertinya jangan salahkan 100% kepada pekerja asing. Pelaku-pelaku jenayah adalah rakyat tempatan. Yang Berhormat harus bekerjasama dengan saya untuk pembanterasan itu. Begitu juga agenda yang lebih tegas, saya fikir bagi menyelesaikan masalah ini bukan agenda pihak kerajaan sahaja. Bila ada permintaan tentu ada penawaran. 

Di dalam keadaan ini saya fikir apa yang harus kitalakukan, kita mesti mempunyai satu pelan jangka panjang yang perlu dibahaskan di dalam Dewan yang mulia ini dengan semua agensi-agensi dan pihak swasta supaya mereka juga mengakui hakikat bahawa keutamaan hendaklah diberikan kepada rakyat tempatan. Soal rasuah yang berlaku di dalam soal pengambilan pekerja asing ini, kalau Yang Berhormatmempunyai maklumat beritahu saya. Saya tidak akan pernah berkompromi dengan rasuah-rasuah,sama ada dilakukan oleh pegawai-pegawai di Kementerian Dalam Negeri atau oleh Jabatan Imigresen, jika ada atau mana-mana agensi serta individu yang mengaku mewakili KDN. Sila beri maklumat. Bukan sahaja kepada Ahli Yang Berhormat Bukit Bintang sahaja, kepada semua Ahli Yang Berhormat di Dewan yang mulia ini, saya tidak akan kompromi. Tindakan akan saya lakukan dengan kadar segera, terima kasih. 

Datuk Dr. Abdul Latiff Ahmad [Mersing]:  Tuan Yang di-Pertua, lama sudah tunggu hendak tanya soalan tambahan pada bos lama. Tuan Yang di-Pertua, saya hendak tarik perhatian Ahli-ahli Dewan, ada satu manifesto yang diwujudkanoleh Pakatan Rakyat jika mereka memerintah. Nasib baik mereka tidak memerintah iaitu manifesto Pakatan Rakyat berbunyi mewujudkan 1 juta peluang pekerjaan baru oleh rakyat Malaysia dengan cara mengurangkan 1 juta pekerja asing dalam sektor yang telah dinyatakan oleh Yang Berhormat Menteri sebentar tadi. 

Jadi, dalam kata mudah buang semua pekerja asing 1  juta bawa pekerja baru rakyat Malaysia ganti di sektor perladangan, pembinaan dansektor perkhidmatan. Adakah cadangan Pakatan Rakyat yang amat cerdik ini boleh dilaksanakan kerana Mersing lama juga duduk dalam Jawatankuasa Pekerja Asing yang dipengerusikan YangAmat Berhormat Timbalan Perdana Menteri. Jadi, saya hendak tanya Yang Berhormat Menteri, boleh atau tidak?  [Dewan riuh]Oleh sebab itu tidak bagi peluang. 

Kedua, antara halalan toyyibanini, yang halal dengan yang jadi tanpa izin ini amat mudah. Mereka tukar sektor sahaja ia sudah jadi haram. Saya hendak tanya sedikit kepada Yang Berhormat Menteri mengenai teknikal sedikit fasal levi kerana pungutan levi kepada pekerja asing agak banyak. 

Bila mereka sudah menjadi tidak tanpa izin, adakah mereka ini berhak mengeluarkan levi dan apakah proses untuk mengeluarkan levi ini mengambil kira setelah mereka betul-betul keluar daripada negara kerana ini adalah melibatkan pengaliran dana negara? Terima kasih. 

Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi:Tuan Yang di-Pertua, saya mengalu-alukan ucapan kalau bukan soalan daripada Yang Berhormat Mersing, mantan Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan ketika saya menjadi Menteri Pertahanan.  Jadi  insya-Allahakan naik semula sebagai Menteri. [Dewan riuh] 

Mengenai manifesto Pakatan Rakyat untuk mengurangkan pekerja asing, saya ingin menyebutkan bahawa manifesto itu baik. Akan tetapi seolah-olah seperti mengecat langit dan tidak berpijak di bumi yang nyata kerana tidak dapat dilaksanakan.  [Tepuk]Hanya kira-kira 15% sahaja manifesto yang telah dilontarkan dalam Pilihan Raya2008 telah dapat dilaksanakan sehingga Pilihan Raya 2013. Ertinya dengan izin, manifesto rubbish. [Tepuk]Jadi dalam perkara ini saya fikir janganlah buat janji baru dan saya fikir... 

Tuan M. Kulasegaran [Ipoh Barat]:Manifesto konkrit itu. 

Dato' Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi: Apa yang penting Yang Berhormat Ipoh Barat, kita hendaklah melakukan manifesto berdasarkan kepada realiti. Kita harap apa yang dilakukan oleh pihak kerajaan akan memuaskan hati semua pihak dan saya rasional dalam perkara ini sama ada bagi memenuhi kehendak pihak kerajaan ataupun pihak pembangkang. Apa yang penting ialah rakyat keseluruhannya supaya mendapat faedah.

Soalan yang kedua mengenai penukaran sektor. Ramai  di kalangan pekerja asing ini menukar sektor. Saya ambil contoh, daripada sektor  perladangan tukar kepada sektor perkhidmatan kerana sektor perkhidmatan menjanjikan gaji yang lebih. Apa yang sedang dilakukan oleh Kementerian Dalam Negeri dengan kerjasama Jabatan Imigresen dan juga Kementerian Sumber Manusia ialah memberikan kad biometrik. Kad pengenalan yang bercirikan biometrik dan juga ada  bar codeyang menandakan perbezaan warna kad berkenaan. Ambil contoh umpamanya dalam sektor perladangan, hijau umpamanya. Sektor perkhidmatan, biru muda umpamanya. Sektor perhotelan, merah umpamanya tetapi sektor lain warna biru. Dalam keadaan itu, levi yang dikenakan adalah berdasarkan kepada sektor-sektor berkenaan. Namun, jika mereka bertukar sektor contoh MoU yang telah ditandatangani dengan kerajaan Bangladesh jika pekerja mereka bertukar sektor, dendanya ialah sebanyak USD10,000. 

Ini adalah bagi menentukan bahawa hanya sektor-sektor tertentu sahaja yang dipenuhi. Kita mahu supaya siling-siling tertentu dapat dipatuhi oleh majikan-majikan dan saya harap negara-negara sumber dapat mematuhi garis-garis panduan yang telah ditentukan. 

Itulah sebabnya kita tidak mahu melayani semula peranan yang dimainkan oleh agensi pengambilan pekerja asing, sebaliknya pihak majikan diizinkan terus memohon, tidak melalui orang ketiga. Ini kerana orang ketiga ini lazimnya  mengaut keuntungan lebih banyak. Kita tidak mahu seolah-olah ada perniagaan hamba abdi berlaku di negara kita.

Poverty line income in 2012? The number of poor in Malaysia increasing or decreasing

The BN government happily tells us that our poverty rate is dropping. Reading a lot of speeches and reports we see how thanks to the BN government, our poverty rate has dropped...we are given statistics (percentages) of how much it has dropped - BUT the question is always what exactly is that poverty line income that is being used. How is it calculated? Is it reasonable? What was the earlier poverty line incomes? How do you even derive this percentages showing dropping poverty rates... is it based on a survey of all Malaysians, or just a sampling, and if a sampling what the number sampled, etc. Was it just workers in the public sector and their families that were sampled? Malaysians need to know all this - our trust and belief in the ruling government and its Ministers are faltering...trust is disappearing....and only transparency may help regain some of the lost trust.

The state’s poverty rate dropped from 24.2 per cent in 2004 to 19.7 per cent in 2009, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman disclosed yesterday. He said the marked decrease in the poverty rate is in the interior areas which recorded a 13.2 per cent reduction from 29.0 per cent in 2004 to 15.8 per cent in 2009. - Government Transformation Program Website, Borneo Post, 7/9/2012, Poverty rate drops drastically in interior – CM

What is Malaysia's poverty line income? The Human Resource Minister said that it was RM720 in a speech on August, 2010, but then a Malaysian Insider report, aparently in reliance with the 10th Malaysia Report released on June 2010, and the New Economic Report released in April that year tells us that the poverty income line for Malaysia in 2009 is RM800.

"...The other reason is, according to our National Employment Returns 2009, 34% of 1.3 million workers in the study earn less than RM700. It could be more. Our Government has determined the poverty line to RM720, so we have by virtue of the wage mechanism itself, we are creating poverty in about 34% of people on the go, without doing anything else at all. So when the Government decided the poverty rate is RM720 and our wage mechanism by virtue implementation as we have, shows that 34-35% of below poverty line and that is something to do and to think about...." - 

SpeechBy Y.B. Datuk S. Subramaniam, Minister Of Human Resources National Minimum Wage Workshop, 4August 2010, Putrajaya International Convention Centre

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, those figures were for 2009, what then is the new poverty line income for 2012 - given that subsidies for sugar have been reduced, and certainly cost of living has gone up....oh yes, now we even have to pay that extra service tax...mmm 

The BN government really must be transparent as to how the poverty line income is calculated, and also reveal information about past poverty line incomes...and when it changed, etc. 

If Peninsular Malaysias, poverty line income is RM763, then...

“RM5.80 is supposed to pay for three meals, transport costs, rent, recreation and the other components for ONE person in ONE day. Tell me, can a Malaysian in the Peninsula even buy three meals a day on RM5.80?

Looking at the poverty income line for 2009, it is obvious that it is higher for Sabah (RM1048) and Sarawak (RM912), whilst for Peninsular Malaysia it is RM763.

So, how can the BN government justify setting the minimum wage for Peninsular Malaysia at RM900, and for Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan at RM800. Rightly, the minimum wages of workers in East Malaysia should have been so much higher at the very least equivalent to their poverty line income.

Someone told me once that to show a country's poverty rate is dropping is something that could very easily be achieved the poverty line income, or keeping the poverty line income low... Wonder whether that is what our government need to demonstrate how successfully it has eradicated poverty in Malaysia? What do you think?

How poor are we, really?

By Sheridan Mahavera

July 21, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — The government likes to boast that Malaysia has almost erased poverty. It is the one unchallenged success that is shouted out again and again to show how far we have come since Merdeka.

The line is familiar: “In 1970, 49.7 per cent of households were living in poverty. Now it is only 3.8 per cent.” Or out of 6.2 million households, only 228,400 can be classified as poor.

These 228,400 are households that earn an average of RM800 a month and below.

Is RM800 a fair cut-off point? Because it effectively means that if a household of four earns RM900, RM1,000, or even RM1,500 a month, they cannot be considered poor.

If that is the case, then why are there more and more media reports of families complaining that they cannot make ends meet even when they earn RM2,000?

How did the government calculate and decide that RM800 is the poverty line?

Jayanath Appudurai, who writes extensively on poverty for the Centre for Policy Initiatives, believes that the government’s calculations are unrealistic.

Here, he argues that we need a new standard to measure poverty — one that more accurately represents the cost of food, clothing, rent and other basic necessities, and how much it takes for an average family of four to keep themselves afloat in today’s Malaysia.

Jayanath’s assessment is based on government data in its 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) report released in June, and the New Economic Model (NEM) that was out in April.

The Poverty Income Level (PLI) is defined as:
“An income that is necessary to buy a group of foods that would meet the nutritional needs of the members of a household. The income is also to meet other basic necessities such as clothing, rent, fuel and utilities, transport and communications, medical expenses, education and recreation.”

Plainly speaking, the PLI is how much money in a month a Malaysian household needs to meet these eight components.

Though the Government calculates different PLIs for Malaysia’s three regions, the total average PLI is RM800.

For this demonstration, Jayanath uses the Peninsula PLI of RM763.

A household living in the peninsula is considered poor only if its monthly income is below RM763.

“The government claims that it uses a World Bank standard to measure PLI. But they do not reveal the actual methodology of how they arrive at RM763,” says Jeyanath.

The World Bank standard, Jayanath says, recommends that medium-income countries should calculate PLI based on US$2 (RM6.20) per individual per day. Meaning one person would need US$2 per day in order to meet both food and non-food necessities.

If that figure were used for Malaysia, a theoretical household of 4.4 people would then need RM858 a month to not be declared poor.

The government considers a household as comprising an average of 4.4 members, says Jayanath. (Total number of households divided by total population = 4.4).

The PLI of RM763, therefore, is translated into a daily income of RM25.45 that a household needs to meet the eight components such as food, rent, clothing and fuel.

“Or, that if a member of a household earns RM5.80 a day, they cannot be considered poor.

Since, according to the government, you are able to live on RM5.80 a day.

In other words Jayanath explains:

“RM5.80 is supposed to pay for three meals, transport costs, rent, recreation and the other components for ONE person in ONE day. Tell me, can a Malaysian in the Peninsula even buy three meals a day on RM5.80?

“In fact, I’d challenge our government ministers to try that,” said Jayanath

Jayanath says countries such as Britain and Australia calculate PLIs based on the median income of its households. The median income is a country’s total income divided by half.

The PLI is two-thirds of the median income.
In Malaysia the median income is RM2,830. Using this method, the PLI would then be RM1,886.

In effect, this translates into RM14.20 per day for an individual to meet all their eight needs.

“Compared to RM5.80, is not RM14.20 a more realistic figure in terms of how much one needs per day in Malaysia?”

A former finance minister had once said, repeatedly, that if we were to revise how we measure poverty, our poverty rate would not be the vaunted 3.8 per cent. He is right, technically.

Jayanath’s calculations would put Malaysia’s poverty rate at somewhere between 31 to 32 per cent.

“Our poverty level looks good on paper but woefully ignores reality. We are so obsessed with selling this story that we are a success.”

Statistics are supposed to accurately measure our economic environment, so that in this case, pin-point policies to deal with poverty can be crafted.

The government has begun scaling back subsidies so that they would only benefit those they are meant for — the poor.

How is it supposed to do this if we cannot even accurately measure who the poor are? - The Malaysian Insider, 21/7/2010, How poor are we, really?