Zero poverty should be our end goal

LAST WEEK it was reported that in Sabah a rubber tapper had to borrow RM120 to attend his daughter’s excellent STPM results announcement.

His daughter had achieved a perfect CGPA of 4.0 in her STPM examinations.

The rubber tapper earns between RM200 and RM300 per month.

Most of us could not fathom how a family can manage with such a meagre amount.

Many still live hand to mouth and barely makes ends meet as the Malay saying kais pagi, makan pagi, kais petang, makan petang with no savings for a rainy day.

Poverty is still a social problem in our country.

Though the government is bent on eradicating poverty and achieving zero hardcore poverty in the country there are still people living in deplorable conditions.

It is heart-warming that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has highlighted and vowed to eradicate abject poverty in our nation.

There are still families, single mothers and aged couples living in shacks, abandoned and dilapidated buildings, makeshift tents, store rooms, cars, makeshift lavatories, animal enclosures and ramshackle huts without proper water supplies, electricity and sanitation.

It is shocking that people still live in such squalid living conditions in a country that boasts of progress and development.

The media should be commended for highlighting and exposing families and children living in deplorable conditions.

A more concerted effort needs to be taken to eradicate poverty.

The respective village heads and wakil rakyat should be aware of squatters and families living in poverty in their constituency.

Social Welfare workers and volunteers should visit every nook and cranny in the country to identify the hardcore poor.

The onus is on us to help our country in achieving zero poverty.

Let us eradicate poverty within our neighbourhood by reporting deserving cases to the relevant authorities.

Poverty should be eradicated and it should be the top priority of any state government.

In a land where foreigners are coming in droves to work and earn a living, it is saddening to see our own people living in such pathetic conditions.

There are homes with no proper electricity or water supply.

I am appalled by organisations helping foreign missions and causes when our own people are living in abject poverty without the basic needs of food, shelter and clothing.

Let charity begin at home. Let us completely wipe out this malaise of people living in abject poverty before helping foreign missions.

Cut spending on sports and arts for the time being.

Let us channel the resources to eradicate poverty.

It is heart-warming that kind and concerned individuals have come forward to help those in need and the media should be commended for their loving and caring nature to expose such cases so that their lives could be made a little better and brighter.

Hardcore poverty should be eradicated and it should be the top priority of our government.

Zero poverty should be the ultimate goal in our quest for quality living.

Samuel Yesuiah

Seremban

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