Malaysia, a country with one of the highest income inequality in the region, second only to Papua New Guinea in Asia, should not repeat the mistake made by the Middle East nations in blindly pursuing economic growth, but should also take into consideration income inequality and other social developments, chief economist in Malaysia Rating Corporation Berhad Nor Zahidi Alias advised. Nur Zahidi cited Penang as an example, saying that its inequalities had worsened in past 14 years despite the state having a higher income level.
He also pointed that 70 percent of Malaysian workers earned less than RM1,500 per month, with the percentage being higher in Sabah and Sarawak. He said the cost of living in Malaysia has gone up when the CPI index and food price rose 11 and 22 percent respectively since the civil servants received their last pay hike of 7.5 percent to 35 percent in July 2007 - hence, the pay hike that civil servants received had been only enough to cover the price hike of the last two to three years.
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