Malaysia stands as a beacon of success as we march towards the ambitious goal of eradicating hardcore poverty. In a testament to this commitment, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared a resounding 100% success in the efforts to eliminate extreme poverty in Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Negeri Sembilan in mid-February 2024. This milestone not only underscores Malaysia’s dedication to transformative change through various poverty eradication efforts but also paints a vivid picture of the nation’s triumph over one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Yet, one must pause to question the authenticity of this triumph. Have we, perhaps, been ensnared in a mirage of achievement, celebrating the alleviation of poverty while our metrics paint a rosier picture than reality? Can we genuinely declare victory in the war against poverty when pockets of hardcore poverty persist in both rural and urban landscapes, and vulnerable groups continue to fall through the cracks? 

This calls for a clear paradigm shift: moving from the obsession of poverty eradication towards continuous and sustainable poverty alleviation efforts. It involves a drastic departure from unrealistic zero poverty goals based on an artificially low Poverty Line Income (PLI) and reexamining statistical reports and official presentations that are whitewashed with colourful graphs depicting a deluded sense of pride. The crux of the matter lies in the inadequate definition of poverty itself which in turn, creates a system that fails to address the nuanced challenges faced by individuals, families and communities who struggle to break out of the poverty trap. 

Poverty, in its true essence, extends far beyond income, encompassing a multifaceted spectrum of challenges. These complexities demand a multidimensional lens to capture the depth and breadth of poverty. So, what exactly constitutes these other deprivations? According to Malaysia’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) structure, multidimensional poverty includes non-monetary deprivations such as education, living conditions, and health.

Before the pandemic, education deprivation in Malaysia garnered substantial attention, particularly in rural areas. However, after the pandemic struck, children from impoverished settings faced significant challenges as well. Many poor families grappled with the transition to online learning (PDPR) due to a lack of technological devices (23%) and unreliable internet connectivity (22%). Consequently, this setback resulted in these children falling behind their peers or showing a diminished interest in continuing their studies (14%). During the post-pandemic recovery, many of these students opted to drop out due to academic lag and found it more viable to work and earn income to support their families. Moreover, the prohibitive costs of transportation to school highlight the inaccessibility that urban poor families face. The Ministry of Education reported a dropout rate of 0.07% among primary school students nationwide and 0.99% among secondary school students as of June 2022, emphasising the educational challenges faced by these communities. This is particularly concerning as education is pivotal in breaking the generational cycle of poverty.

Healthcare accessibility stands as another prominent deprivation experienced by individuals grappling with poverty. This inaccessibility manifests in multifaceted ways, as highlighted in a 2022 article from the Malaysian Journal of Public Health Malaysia. The article outlines three primary barriers hindering healthcare access for this demographic: structural, financial, and personal impediments. Structural barriers encompass physical obstacles that pose challenges for families seeking healthcare such as geographic distances between their homes and nearby clinics or hospitals, inadequacies in staffing, such as shortages of nurses and doctors in public healthcare facilities which then results in prolonged waiting times for families in dire need of treatments. Whereas financial barriers encompass additional challenges, such as the financial burden of transportation costs and the expense of medical insurance. Personal barriers, on the other hand, are a range of psychological and social factors. Stigma associated with seeking medical care, the pressures of work commitments, fear of medical procedures, and a lack of education on available treatments for existing diseases all contribute to this hurdle. Even though Malaysia’s public clinics and hospitals are subsidised and affordable, the costs and barriers manifest in various ways, highlighting inequality among our citizens.

The final domain in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) focuses on living conditions. With the persistent trend of rural-urban migration, the Malaysian government introduced the People’s Housing Programme (Program Perumahan Rakyat or PPR) to address the challenges faced by urban squatters. However, there is a growing concern that PPRs are now perceived as ‘poor housing for the poor,’ characterised by inadequate living conditions. Safety emerges as a critical aspect influencing the quality of PPR low-cost flats. Residents’ express anxiety about their safety due to the escalating crime rates within the PPR compounds. Issues such as insufficient lamp posts, lack of proper motorbike parking zones, and the absence of speed bumps contribute to these concerns. Furthermore, PPRs have become hotspots for drug abuse, with underutilised spaces like open rooftops, staircases, and empty parking areas turning into gathering spots for drug users. In addition to these challenges, essential amenities are not well-maintained, as seen in the case of broken lifts in the PPR in Bandar Tun Razak. This has resulted in poor rubbish and waste management, becoming an open invitation to pests, thereby posing health threats to the residents. The non-functioning lifts have also severely impacted the mobility of the elderly, those residing on higher floors, and those with physical conditions, making it difficult for them to access their units. Hence, the standards of low-cost flats in PPR must be elevated before the government proceeds with further construction, as merely providing a roof falls short of addressing the multifaceted issue of poverty.

As we take the multidimensional aspect of poverty a step further, it becomes imperative to adopt a more holistic approach that champions social, economic, and political justice. For instance, political justice underscores the principle that no one should be marginalised from political participation, recognizing that political dynamics shape the execution of legal and institutional policies. Moreover, a critical examination of institutional barriers is necessary to identify and dismantle obstacles that impede upward social mobility opportunities. The key paradigm shift here is to move away from the idea of solely providing the urban poor with the resources they do not have, but rather promoting reforms that can place them in the conditions to earn the resources they believe they need. This comprehensive perspective aligns with the broader goal of fostering sustainable change and dismantling systemic challenges associated with poverty.

All in all, the journey towards poverty alleviation should acknowledge the intricacies and realities of poverty, prioritising a realistic and multidimensional approach over the utopian pursuit of complete eradication. This shift requires not only policy adjustments but also a collective commitment to fostering justice and opportunities for those who continue to grapple with the complexities of poverty.