11MP: Push for a larger middle class society

PETALING JAYA: The 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) will focus on uplifting B40 households towards a middle-class society. This is among the five focus areas of the government in achieving an equitable society.

B40 households refer to households that are at the bottom 40% of income distribution. The 11MP states that in 2009 the mean monthly income of B40 households was RM1, 440 which has since increased to RM2, 537 last year.

The 11MP aims to increase the mean monthly household income from RM2, 537 to RM5, 270 by 2020 which will elevate these households to the middle-class category.

The government will also increase the provision of affordable housing to ensure that homes are made available to those that lie within the B40 bracket.

Special interest rate loans, with a 10-year moratorium on the sale of property will be provided to B40 households to enable them to own houses.

Affordable housing schemes by PR1MA Malaysia and Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad will also be continued.

The government will implement strategies to raise the income and wealth of these B40 households such as enlarging the middle class society by taking measures to spur the income growth within the B40 households such as giving incentives to employers to encourage their employees to pursue higher education.

The 11MP also aims to address the increase in cost of living by monitoring and enforcing price control regulations to curb unreasonable price increases, with special emphasis on basic necessities.

The 11MP targets that there will be 2.7 million B40 houses by 2020 with 56% in urban areas and 44% in rural areas.

Apart from that, the 11MP outlines plans to transform rural areas and uplift the well-being of rural communities. A total of 26.3% of Malaysians or 7.92 million people live in rural areas across the nation.

Among the plans are to extend the provision of rural basic infrastructure, encourage more private investment in rural areas, improving rural-urban linkages, expanding access to basic services and streamlining the delivery system.

During the 11MP, some 3,000Km of paved roads will be constructed that will link villages to nearest towns especially in Sabah and Sarawak and other Orang Asli settlements around Malaysia.

There is also the Rural Water Supply programme and the Rural Electricity Supply programme that aims to provide a constant flow of both necessities to rural areas.