KUCHING: A state’s high-income status can only be considered when its people regard themselves as a high-income society.
In stating this, economist Datuk Dr Ahamed Kameel Mydin Meera pointed out that the important thing for a high income state is how its wealth is distributed among its people.
“This is because there could be just a few very wealthy individuals while the rest are just poor and yet the economy can be classified under high income.
“Hence, a measure for wealth distribution, like the GINI coefficient, is also necessary,” he said when contacted by the New Sarawak Tribune.
Furthermore, he added that only when wealth is equitably distributed one would see a general upliftment in the standard of living of the people which is consistent with a high income status.
“And only then one would also see good development and infrastructure taking place,” he said.
For the record, World Bank lead economist for Malaysia Apurva Sanghi on Twitter stated that the latest high-income data released by the World Bank on July 1 this year revealed that Sarawak has achieved high income state status.
He said Sarawak achieved it by having a gross national income (GNI) per capita of more than US$13,205.
