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| June 23, 2009 | | One in every 20 Malaysian Sikhs living in Perak is a hardcore poor | | Malaysian Sikh community leaders have said that one in every 20 Sikhs living in Perak is a hardcore poor. The Sikh
community's hardcore poor numbers around 1,500, constituting about 400 families,
or five per cent of the total 28,000 Sikhs in the state. This information so astounded
Menteri Besar Dr. Zambry Abdul Kadir that he has decided to include the eradication
of hardcore poverty among Sikhs in his administration's action plan. After meeting
the Union of Perak Sikh Organisations (Upso), he said the data on hardcore poor
within the community took him by surprise. "Like many others, my worldview of
the Sikhs has been that they don't have severe socio-economic problems like other
communities. But, after listening to Sikh leaders talking about the level of hardcore
poverty in the community, I must say that it did shock me," the New Straits Times
quoted him, as saying. He said the state government viewed the issue of hardcore
poverty seriously. Leaders of Upso, an umbrella body representing seven Sikh non-governmental
organisations, met Zambry to highlight various problems faced by the state's Sikh
community. The group also highlighted the need for state government intervention
to help with issues involving single mothers, language and education. Zambry also
pledged to look into land problems faced by several gurdwaras in Malaysia. Zambry,
who spent almost two hours listening to Sikh leaders, also agreed to the setting
up of a Sikh advisory body, so that it would be easier for the community to bring
up its problems directly with the state government. "I encourage the Sikhs in
the state to unite behind one organisation or body so that it will be easy to
deal with the state government and vice-versa. I think the board proposal is good
one and ought to be studied and implemented." In the meantime, he said Upso could
act as an intermediary between the community and the state government.
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Leading
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