Fatimah: Ministry to establish task force to eradicate hardcore poverty in S’wak

KUCHING (May 15): The Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development is set to establish a task force led by its permanent secretary effective June 1 to eradicate hardcore poverty in Sarawak, says its minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

According to her, the task force will be divided into three zones – the northern, central and southern zones – each of which will be overseen by a head who will be coordinating and monitoring implementation in that zone.

“We will convene with our collaborators including non-governmental organisations to provide them with a briefing on the necessary actions,” she told reporters after attending the State Legislative Assembly Appreciation Dinner May 2024, Hari Raya and Pre-Gawai 2024 celebration at The Waterfront Hotel here on Tuesday.

Citing the e-Kasih Sarawak statistics on poverty, Fatimah in her address earlier said 17,482 household heads in Sarawak are listed in the hardcore poverty category.

“Our key performance indicator (KPI) is to eradicate hardcore poverty by at least 50 per cent from the current figure. I believe we can achieve this if we use every resource available to us,” she expressed.

Apart from that, in order to reduce the rate of hardcore poverty, Fatimah underscored her ministry’s effort to provide continuous financial assistance towards people in the hardcore poverty category.

“We can thoroughly inspect and examine the database to see if those listed in the hardcore poor category are indeed in that situation based on their household income.

“Otherwise, we will promptly remove their names from the list not only for verification purposes but also to ensure accurate financial assistance is provided,” she explained.

Fatimah then outlined another strategy in combating hardcore poverty through the Skills Training Career Programme.

“In collaboration with various technical agencies such as the Centre for Technology Excellence (Centex), we aim to provide opportunities for household heads or members to receive monthly assistance to undergo skills training.

“Our goal is for them to master reading, writing and arithmetic skills to enhance their standard of living,” she added.

She emphasised that these initiatives are integral in realising the objectives outlined in the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, which envisions widespread economic prosperity in Sarawak.

Also present during the function were deputy ministers Datuk Rosey Yunus and Datuk Mohammad Razi Sitam along with other dignitaries.