the government has used an unrealistically low poverty line income to decide who comprise the poor. Should there be a readjustment of the poverty line to a more realistic figure, it is likely that several hundred thousand Chinese households (as well as a larger number of Bumiputera and Indian households) will fall into the “poverty” category.
I have always wondered for years whether the remarks made that Malaysian-Chinese are well to do, even if they are poor they aren't as poor (as the other Malaysian-races). With some limited first hand on the field knowledge with the extremely desperate and poor Malaysians of all races, it hits me hard and makes me wonder whether or not I've seen the absolute worst. Because, heartbreakingly I've seen slump residents with very poor living conditions, diseased and earning very low. If that isn't low, what is? Thoughts raced through my head.
Thus, when people make a remark that Malaysian-Malays and Indians are poorer than their Chinese counterparts - I seriously beg to differ, hogwash.
The disparity is widening across the board. With the middle-class increasing substantially: colleges are booming, private schools are filling, and computer stores are importing rapidly to meet the demand of a tech-savvy generation - all of which are well aware of how to make money and with the means to source for new knowledge. We can scour the internet and dig into our nationwide libraries to find studies made and opinions of subject leaders from around the world. We are gifted to have the means to visit a free library.
An person in poverty needs to worry about the next meal, the next payday, just everyday survival. Gaining knowledge is a matter of living it at a limited potential. If the middle-income group can feverishly complain about our education system and seek knowledge elsewhere (internet, books, tutors, overseas, etc.), what about the poor who can't afford this 'luxury'? Are we so selfish to cast a blind veil and forsake them? It's not like our country is high on the social mobility list.
Poverty is economic slavery. No one gains from it, and it knows no prejudice - every Malaysian can succumb to it - much like corruption. We need to realistically up the people in poverty to the lower-income group or higher. Are we civic conscious enough as a nation to do just that? or is our life fueled by the constant daily-routine of job progression?
In the subject of poverty and economy, I'm no expert. So it's great to see people like Dr Lim to write insightful articles such as the quote above; that works to solve Malaysian fundamentals.
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