The Opposition and Sabahans at large have seized on varying poverty figures cited for the state of Sabah as proof that something is amiss in trying to put a finger on the true poverty level in the state.

"Using the figures cited by (Women, Family and Community Development Minister) Sharizat Abdul Jalil (right) yesterday, it seems that we (in Sabah) have 34.26 percent of the (total) hardcore poor families in the country, ie. 15,293 families," pointed out former PKR Sabah Deputy Chief Daniel John Jambun.

What is disturbing about these figures, he explains, is that Sharizat has only referred to the poor in rural areas, outside of the money economy, failing any mention of the urban poor. Hence he concludes that the minister is painting a selective picture on the incidence of poverty in Sabah "for political reasons."

Belabouring the point, Jambun has seized on the fact that besides 44,643 hardcore poor families in the country, Sharizat admitted, while she was in Kota Kinabalu, that there were another 55,957 families categorized as "poor" and a further 86,399 families categorised as "mudah miskin" (borderline poor). Again, he assumes that these figures, which are arrived at using the same government yardstick, exclude the urban poor.

Given the large number of "official poor" alone in Sabah, albeit in the rural areas, Jambun expressed deep pessimism that hardcore poverty can be eradicated in the state by the end of the year as Sharizat has pledged.

Supporting his bleak outlook, he notes that Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal contradicted Sharizat's claim when he admitted in Parliament on Monday that "it will take longer to eradicate poverty in Sabah as it has a relatively higher poverty rate."

Jambun argues that, "Even if hardcore poverty (as defined by Sharizat) can be eradicated by the end of the year, there will be a new category of hardcore poverty, as those now classified as poor will take their place."

Illegal immigrants compound problem

Jambun, who is also the deputy chair of Cigma (Common Interest Group Malaysia), added, "This does not take into account the continuing influx of illegal immigrants who join the growing number of stateless if they don't get their hands on a MyKad."

He sees Sabah forever chasing its tail in poverty eradication, until the federal government stops politicising the issue and Sabah's illegal immigration time-bomb is tackled head on. He added that he did not cook up the phrase "chasing its tail forever" but that it is taken from various United Nations reports on poverty eradication in the state and Malaysia.

"The main reason why Sabah is very poor - and getting poorer all the time - is the explosion in our population as a result of illegal immigration," charged Jambun, referring skeptics to the growth in the state's population figures since 1960. "The illegal immigrants further worsen the poverty picture as they add to our own numbers of poor."

As a result, Jambun claims Sabah's true poverty level is far higher than the figures bandied about by the Federal Government, pointing to the elusive numbers of stateless locals as well as illegal immigrants who cannot be tracked because they do not possess a MyKad.

These are people reckoned to be living in a legal twilight zone and kept out of the official picture on poverty.

Sabah, continued Jambun, should not be burdened with finding solutions to the problem of the grinding poverty in neighbouring countries like the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor Leste in particular "when it had its own problems as well on the issue."

He lamented the fact that Sabah has been burdened with the problem of illegal immigration, and grinding poverty in its wake, ever since the state agreed to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

1.2 million Sabahans in poverty

Likewise, Sabah PKR Deputy Chief Christina Liew Chin Jin Hadhikusumo claims that her own independent research shows that out of the official state population figure of 3.25 million, 1.2 million (37 percent) live below the poverty line.

Sari Nuar, president of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah, is also critical of the official poverty figures. He claims that approximately 250,000 Chinese Malaysians in Sabah are living below the poverty line.

"Only some 50,000 Chinese Malaysians in Sabah can be considered as living comfortably," he said. "The rest are struggling along the poverty line margin."

The official poverty margin in urban areas is RM 866 per month per household in Sabah, while it is RM 777 in Sarawak and RM 600 in Peninsular Malaysia

Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik (right) disputes this figure, putting the urban poverty line (presumably in Kuala Lumpur) much higher at RM 3,000 per month per household with three children.

Former Sabah Chief Minister Harris Salleh noted that times have changed. "It was not so long ago that the urban poverty line in KL as classified by the federal government was RM 1,700 per month per household," he said. "In Sabah, many people are still living at the subsistence level or kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang."

He lamented that many rural households "don't have more than RM10 on them at any one time," and called for poverty-eradication efforts to be stepped up in Sabah.