The Poverty Rate In Malaysia

Poverty is the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine the quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty.

>IN MALAYSIA

* Malaysia population below poverty rate in 2007 - 3.5%

* The official poverty line when the United Nations Development Programme published is set at about RM500

* 2 types of poverty : urban poverty and rural poverty.

* The official figure for urban poverty is given as 2%

>FACTS

Ò Factory workers surveyed and suggested that to survive, they would require a monthly income of about RM1,750.00

Ò Survey of Kuala Lumpur has suggested that about a quarter of the population lives in squatter settlements

>FACTORS OF POVERTY IN GENERAL

*Precarious livelihoods

*Excluded locations

*Physical limitations

*Gender relationships

*Problems in social relationships

*Lack of security

*Abuse by those in power

*Dis-empowering institutions

*Limited capabilities

*Weak community organizations

Can you imagine what happen to them if no one cares about them??

POINT OF VIEW

>FROM AN ECONOMIC POINT

1. Recession – major fluctuations in poverty rates over time driven by the business cycle
2. Economic inequality – average income may be high, but poverty rate is also high if incomes are distributed unevenly.
3. Increase in petrol prices followed by the increase in electrical tariffs as much as 26%
4. Increase in food prices – in late 2007, the increase in the price of grains

Year	GDP (in millions)	Exchange (1 USD to MYR)	Inflation Index (2000=100)
1980	85	2.17	51
1985	78,890	2.48	64
1990	119,082	2.70	70
1995	222,473	2.50	85
2000	343,216	3.80	100
2005	494,544	3.78	109

>FROM A GOVERNENCE POINT

1. Failure by governments to provide essential infrastructure
2. Poor access to affortable education
3. High levels corruption

>FROM A DEMOGRAPIC AND
SOCIAL POINT

1. Crime – white-collar crime & blue-collar crime
2. Cultural – common patterns of life
3. Discrimination – age discrimination

>FROM A HEALTH CARE POINT

1. Poor access to affortable health care
2. Inadequate nutrition in childhood
3. Diseases of poverty - AIDS, Malaria, tuberculosis
4. Substance abuse – alcoholism, drug abuse

>FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL POINT

1. Natural factors – climate change
2. Natural disasters - Tsunami

So, everyone should give a hand to each other for making the situation change to a better life.
And then we should have a sharing and caring environment between human being.........