• 3 months ago
It is more effective to offer sustainable job opportunities than cash handouts when helping vulnerable groups to escape poverty, says Rafizi Ramli.

The Economy Minister said that based on studies and discussions from other countries such as India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, it has shown that those from lower income groups prefer jobs to cash.

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Transcript
00:00If we look at the majority of low-income groups,
00:09apart from the financial assistance provided,
00:13the better solution is the economic activity
00:17that can generate continuous income.
00:22If we look at several countries,
00:26when there is a discussion with the government,
00:32if we look at India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,
00:36history has shown that most of the poorer ones
00:40actually prefer jobs than cash.
00:44So this is actually our challenge
00:47is to design the government's intervention
00:51to eradicate poverty.
00:52How can the programs that we produce
00:56be able to build empowerment for the recipients?
01:00And these are also some of the teachings
01:03that we have seen from several programs
01:06that the government has implemented before this.
01:09Assistance by providing cash or
01:13basic necessities for the poorest groups
01:18are usually unsuccessful.
01:22Not because cash is not enough,
01:24not because the equipment provided is not good,
01:28but for them to produce a successful business,
01:35it requires more knowledge,
01:39more training,
01:41more experience,
01:43which is usually at their level,
01:46if they are forced to face their own business risks,
01:52it usually limits their ability to compete.
01:56Finally, according to the government's report,
02:00several hundred million have been given,
02:03but below, after three or four years,
02:06those who receive assistance
02:08are still unable to get out of poverty.
02:13Therefore, the theme of empowerment
02:16is something that we want to ensure
02:19in every program design,
02:22to take into account the need to ensure
02:26that the program is able to survive on its own.
02:30And finally, our last theme
02:33is certainly related to the efforts and achievements
02:37that can be continued,
02:40both in terms of empowerment for empowerment,
02:43as well as in terms of the need for empowerment
02:46to ensure that it continues.
02:50Respected Dato' Sri,
02:51respected colleagues,
02:54dealing with the issue of poverty in a situation
02:57where we also face various challenges
03:01and mega trends,
03:03demand a holistic approach
03:06with various objectives and goals.
03:09And one of the mega trends
03:11that we will highlight to the parliament
03:14and other countries after this
03:16is the phenomenon of the aging country.
03:21We need to accept the fact
03:23that our country and society
03:25are now going through that process
03:28and we will go through the aging process
03:31in a situation where our economic achievements
03:34are not equal to the advanced countries
03:37that have gone through it earlier,
03:39such as Japan or European countries.
03:42So this aging country process
03:45will certainly bring another dimension
03:49that will complicate our efforts
03:51to eradicate poverty.
03:53Because there are families
03:56who, while working,
03:59they are not considered poor,
04:01but after retirement
04:03and with a longer life expectancy
04:05up to 80-90 years,
04:07it means they have 30 years
04:10to continue living
04:12with limited financial resources
04:15and also costs,
04:16especially higher medical expenses.
04:29For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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