Sabah Poverty Census This Year
Friday, 23 April 2004 (Source: Bernama)

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Rural Development Ministry will conduct a census on the number of poor people in the state to bring them out of the clutches of poverty, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan told the State Assembly Friday.

Pairin, who is also State Rural Development Minister, said the census taking would be carried in collaboration with the Federal Rural and Regional Development Ministry, with more detailed questionaire by appointed enumerators.

Three other census taking took place in 1995, 1997 and 2000 using different formats, he said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks to the Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah in the State Assembly.

"The census by the Sabah Federal Development Department in 1995 registered a total of 14,362 hardcore poor households (KIRT). However a further census by the department and state agencies in 1997 registered 5,998 more KIRT," Pairin said.

In 2000, another registration was conducted to update the existing list and in this 29,889 hardcore poor households were registered," he added.

Pairin said this year's census taking would establish the actual number of hardcore poor in the state and help to ensure the poverty eradication programmes in Sabah attained their objective.