KOTA KINABALU, Sunday, 7 April 2024:
It is shocking that the Federal Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli had relied on outdated data in his work because it means that the government has been making decisions, making plans and spending money on economic programs that are outdated by as much as three years.
The fact that the Federal Ministry had relied on the out of date data on poverty rates in Sabah in a speech at Parliament was revealed by Sabah Chief Minister in today’s media.
This same Federal Minister has been telling people to register and make self-declaration in the PADU database, implying that failure to do so would render a citizen incapable of receiving assistance from the Government.
This revelation prompts questions about the accuracy of various other data sets employed by the Federal Ministry, including financial indicators, labour statistics, unemployment rates, inflation figures, and GDP calculations.
Moreover, the use of outdated data casts a shadow on the Federal Government’s ability to accurately allocate Sabah’s rightful entitlement to 40% of net tax revenues derived from the state. This raises the question of what data the Federal Government is currently using for these calculations.
This latest episode of a Federal Ministry using outdated (hence wrong) data in its work further undermines the confidence of Sabahans on the capability of the Federal Government to help develop Sabah.
Datuk Yong Teck Lee
President, SAPP