THE poverty line income (PLI) measurement of RM2,208 is unrealistic, said Charles Santiago.

According to the Pakatan Harapan lawmaker, the PLI is divided into two categories: food amounting to RM1,038 and non-food (clothing, rental, education, transportation, etc) items amounting to RM1,170.

This meant that non-food items only constitute 52% of the PLI, he said.

“This is in contrast to EPF’s Belanjawanku share of non-food expenditure of 77%,” said the Klang MP in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

Inaccurate weightage of the non-food component will result in a skewed PLI measurement, leading to an underestimation in the number of those living in poverty, he said.

“And is it possible for a family of four or two to survive on RM1,038 for food?”

The government’s PLI is does not accurately represent the cost of living in urban Malaysia, he added.

EPF’s 2019 Belanjawanku posts the basic living wage in an urban area at about RM2,490 for a single adult, RM4,420 for a couple without children, RM6,620 for a family of four and RM3,089 for an elderly couple. – August 6, 2020.