MALAYSIA could see a spike in poverty rates worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic because the country lacks comprehensive social safety nets and is understating true poverty levels, said Philip Alston, the former United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights.

He said his prediction coincides with projections by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that poverty rates would increase, with the pandemic being a catalyst. – July 7, 2020.