The number of have nots in Sabah is still large, with 12.9% of the people living below the poverty line, according to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) of the Prime Minister's Department.
However, the picture has been improving over the years. In 1979, 40.7% of households in Sabah were mired in poverty.
The figures came from Nik Azman Abdul Majid, EPU's deputy director in charge of policy. He was in Kota Kinabalu on Monday for the National Consultation on Post-2015 Development Agenda.
"Despite various achievements, there is still much more to be done to improve the socio-economic well-being of the people of Sabah," he said.
"Unemployment in Sabah, at 5.2% last year, remains higher than the national average of 3.1%. Youth unemployment in Sabah last year stood at 10.4%.
Nik Azman disclosed that the federal government hopes to address poverty issues by adopting "inclusiveness" as one of the thrusts of the 11th Malaysia Plan to be officially launched next June.
The plan would be needs-based, where the bottom 40% of households and underprivileged people would receive special assistance; merit-based where programmes would be organised to provide the same opportunities to deserving individuals and businesses; transparency in that policies, procedures and criteria would be communicated to the people.
"The 11th Malaysia Plan is the last lap before the 2020 target of a high income advanced economy," said Nik Azman. "We must ensure that nobody is left out, that everybody benefits."
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