Najib Claims That Malaysia Is One Of The Countries That Has Successfully Helped Its Poor
He said this while officiating the Assembly of the Usahawan Amanah Ikhtiar (AIM) Malaysia at the Pekan parliamentary constituency level.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 16 Apr 2018, 06:19 PM
Yesterday, April 15, caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared that Malaysia is among the most successful nations in helping its poor and low-income groups through various government policies
He said this while officiating the Assembly of the Usahawan Amanah Ikhtiar (AIM) Malaysia at the Pekan parliamentary constituency level, reported Bernama.
Najib recounted that such government policies have been implemented since the creation of the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) under his late father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein's six-year administration
"This we cannot deny, the position of the poor in Malaysia especially in rural areas improved due to Tun Razak's efforts," he said, using examples of the agencies that followed, such as Felcra, Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Tekun Nasional (Tekun), and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM).
Referring to Tun Razak Hussein’s New Economic Policy, Najib said that he intends to continue his late father's legacy of having a profound impact upon assisting the poor.
The Pekan MP said that, "As his son, I certainly want to see that the platform that had been initiated continue until today until all that my late father had dreamed of and became his inspiration and ambition becomes a reality."
Najib recounted that thanks to the micro-financing provided by AIM, many Malaysians were able to avoid borrowing money from loan sharks and have managed to become successful entrepreneurs
"The national poverty rate had in terms of absolute figures dropped to zero while the relative poverty rate dropped 3.8% in 2009 to 0.4% in 2016. Meanwhile, the rate of monthly household income for the group B40 category had risen from RM1,400 to RM2,848 during the corresponding period," said Najib.
He explained that, "The credit provided is likened to a baby who is just learning to walk, then actually walking and running, similarly we have the basic loan as provided by AIM, then by MARA, Tekun and SME Bank to expand the business."
"Imagine if there is no such assistance, how do they want to start a business, they will probably become victims of illegal lenders."
At the event, Najib also announced that there would be an additional allocation of RM100 million to AIM this year, raising the financial limit for the I-Sejahtera loan from RM10,000 to RM15,000
The loan limit for I-Wibawa was also increased from RM5,000 to RM15,000, according to Bernama.