Sabah UMNO chief Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has urged the state government to conduct a more comprehensive poverty survey, saying the e-Kasih registry alone does not reflect the true scale of poverty in the state.

He said many struggling households remain outside the system due to rigid eligibility criteria, leaving them without access to much-needed assistance.

“The poverty census should not focus solely on those registered under e-Kasih but must also include the near-poor and those caught in the income gap that leaves them stranded between eligibility categories,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

His remarks came as Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor revealed that 72,058 heads of households are currently registered as poor and hardcore poor in the e-Kasih system. The figures were announced at the launch of the Sentuhan Kasih Rakyat (Syukur) cash aid programme in Tuaran.

Bung welcomed the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Secretariat’s initiative in introducing additional indicators to improve poverty data collection but said further refinements are needed.

“In 2025, with the rising cost of living weighing heavily on the people, this system must be refined and expanded to ensure aid distribution is precise and effective,” he said.

He called on authorities to widen data collection efforts to include low-income households in rural and interior areas, which he said are often overlooked in the existing aid mechanism.

He also urged the state to take a more inclusive approach that considers those affected by economic pressures and to strengthen cooperation with the federal government to prevent bureaucratic delays.

“Our goal is to ensure that no Sabahan is left behind in receiving the assistance that is rightfully theirs,” he said, adding that a more thorough survey would ensure help reaches those who need it most. – February 19, 2025.