MALAYSIA should revise its poverty rate and show a more inclusive picture of marginalised groups in the country, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston said.

A revision of the national poverty line would be just the first step towards eradicating poverty, he said in conjunction with the release of a report on his official 11-day visit to Malaysia in August last year.

The UN released the report by Alston today, and also Putrajaya’s response to his findings.

The federal government disagrees with Alston’s view that its official assessment of the national poverty rate of 0.4% is not the true picture, more “based on a statistical sleight of hand”.

The purpose of Alston’s visit last year was to report to the UN Human Rights Council on the extent to which Putrajaya’s policies and programmes relating to extreme poverty are consistent with its human rights obligations, and to offer constructive recommendations to the government and other stakeholders.

Alston said Malaysia needed a better understanding of the nature of poverty, especially in urban areas. The country also needed a new approach towards long-neglected populations, besides improved social policies.

Neglected groups include indigenous people, who experience a far higher poverty rate than the general population.

They also face a widespread violation of rights, land appropriation issues and are excluded from social support.

“Indigenous peoples continue to face discrimination despite laudable commitments to promote their rights. Government officials misunderstand or dismiss their goals and ways of life with alarming regularity,” said Alston.

Non-citizens such as migrants, refugees, stateless people and unregistered Malaysians are also disproportionately affected by poverty, yet are “systematically excluded from official poverty figures”.

“Although migrant workers make up a sizeable part of the overall population and have been central in Malaysia’s economic success, they have been ‘deliberately’ left in a regulatory grey zone that facilitates sometimes scandalous abuses and generally poor conditions,” Alston said.

He also observed that women in Malaysia shoulder an unbalanced share of housework.

They also have an exceptionally low rate of workforce participation, are disproportionally stuck in lower-level jobs, and are paid less than men.

He also listed people with disabilities as another group ignored in poverty statistics. They face widespread discrimination and obstacles, which prevent them from participating in society on an equal basis with others, he noted.

Unlike many of its counterparts, Malaysia also does not provide full access to household survey microdata, and does not collect information on the size of certain vulnerable populations, Alston added.

“Key poverty-related data is often inaccessible or even non-existent, which is counterproductive and leaves policymakers and researchers essentially working in the dark.”

Malaysia’s poverty line is set at RM980 per household per month, or RM8 (around US$2) per person per day.

“The government should institute far-reaching reforms of the fractured and patchy social protection system to ensure that the needs of people living in poverty are comprehensively addressed, with a social protection floor for all,” Alston said, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic could make the loss of income and increase of poverty worse.

“Covid-19 has demonstrated that anyone can lose a job through no fault of their own, and reinforces the absolute necessity of strong support programmes.” – July 6, 2020.