A total of 32,452 Malaysians were in the extreme poverty category as of October 31, according to a report by Federal Territories Minister Dr. Zaliha Mustafa.
Of this number, 7,308 were heads of households, while another 25,144 were their family members.
Penang recorded the highest number with 6,644 individuals, followed by Kedah at 6,593 and Sarawak at 5,923.
This data was obtained through the eKasih system, the national database for poverty that is constantly updated.
Dr. Zaliha also stated that this system will be integrated with the government's central database, Padu, to ensure that assistance is channeled more effectively.
However, to what extent can this system reflect the overall reality in Malaysia?
More importantly, what immediate action will the government take to ease the burden on these families who continue to be squeezed?
