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Sandakan: DAP Sandakan has come out in support of the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah's (FCAS) claim Wednesday that some 250,000 Chinese in Sabah are living along the poverty margin.
In agreeing with the claim made by FCAS President Datuk Sari Nuar, its coordinator here, Anthony Teo, alleged that poverty faced by the Chinese community in the district is even more acute. "DAP Sandakan supports the FCAS' assessment. For the statement to come out on the eve of the Chinese New Year is downright depressing," he said in a statement, Saturday. He said if the recent finding by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is used as a yardstick, the poverty line in 2004 for Peninsular Malaysia being RM543, Sabah RM704 and Sarawak RM608, then many urban and young Chinese and households are reduced to this poverty margin. "A random survey we did shows a great majority of Chinese working as general workers in the coffee shop, supermarket, petrol station, workshop, private clinic and clerical work are drawing less than RM500 per month and daily paid workers are paid only between RM12 and RM15 per day. And in this age, this type of wages is slavery," said Teo. He said Chinese leader Datuk Raymond Tan, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister, should come to the aid of this group and provide them with direct monthly financial assistance to bring them out of poverty. "Let's put in some 'real cash' for the abject poor rather than the billions of ringgit on food subsidy to keep the basic food price down as this will not mean a thing if the abject poor cannot even afford the subsidised food prices," he said. As an example, he said the subsidised price of flour was RM2.49 per kilogramme in November 2007, rising by 50.91 per cent from RM1.65 in January the same year. He urged the State Government to urgently come up with a minimum wage package or concept for all general workers in Sabah as this would help in keeping with inflation. He said given the low wages, high cost of living and lack of business opportunity here, youths have moved to other towns. "We noted that out of 10 Chinese households in Sandakan, eight have at least one or two members working outside the State, that is in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. I personally know of a household where all four siblings are working outside the district, two in Singapore and one each in Brunei and Peninsular Malaysia," said Teo. He said this shows the State Government had failed miserably in uplifting the standard of living here. (Daily Express)
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The idea that the Chinese are rich is totally a misconception - maybe it is UMNO's style of creating this mindset.
Once I was advising some young Malay boys to learn some trade if they are not academically inclined. The boys answered me that there was no one to help them, even UMNO has not come to their assistance.I then stated that they should do it on their own than relying on political parties, and stressed to look at the Chinese. They replied without a blink of their eye that the Chinese were all rich. I immediately told them to come with me and I'll show them the poor Chinese and they immediately backed away.This misconception has been set by the BN government.