With the attraction of billions of ringgit worth of investments, the improvement of the nation’s economy, GDP as well as the ringgit’s value all in the past year, surely the government can obtain more funds to help the poor.  

It is long past due for the government to spearhead more aggressive poverty alleviation programs.

The agenda of poverty eradication, especially hardcore poverty from our society, must be prioritised with the help of relevant agencies and groups.

There are still many people who suffer due to low socio-economic statuses and poverty in general.

Also, the very existence of hardcore poverty among Malaysians is quite disappointing and a clear sign of our political system’s failure as a whole to take proper care of the rakyat.

Recently, I read about the Johor state government’s efforts to eradicate hardcore poverty in the state for the past two years.

Among the programs led by the state government include:

■ Rumah Kasih Johor which provides free houses for families registered with E-Kasih (a national database on poor families) that are classified as poor or hardcore poor.

■ Bantuan Kasih Johor which includes the distribution of 5,000 food baskets containing necessities such as rice, cooking oil, flour, sugar and sardines.

■ Baik Pulih Rumah which focuses on repairing and rehabilitating the homes of hardcore poor families. It includes repairs to leaky roofs, damaged wooden beams and worn-out floors.

I strongly urge the government to launch these types of programs across the country or strengthen existing ones.

The excuse of a lack of funds for more aggressive poverty alleviation programs is completely unacceptable! This is simply an issue of political will.

Frankly, does the government possess the political will to:

■ Acquire sufficient funds to improve the common people’s socio-economic statuses and effectively eradicate poverty?

■ Prioritise the needs of ordinary people over the interests of the corporate and investor classes?

With the eradication of poverty, surely more people will develop a more positive opinion towards the government.

This is how the government can obtain much-needed support, especially from rural communities.

It cannot be denied that improving the rakyat’s socio-economic levels is far more effective than using race and religion as political tools in generating greater support among voters.

The government needs to acquire the political will and strive relentlessly to eradicate poverty as soon as possible!

(Raveen Jeyakumar is a writer who is passionate about social and environmental issues, whose work can be found at https://substack.com/@fixingoursociety.)