incidence poverty amongst Orang Asli households declined from 39.8% 84 in 2000 to 11.2% 85 in 2010, while the incidence of hardcore poverty among IP households shrunk from 43.6% 86 to 20% 87 during the same period. Poverty and hardcore poverty among the natives in Sabah and Sarawak have also reduced. Table 4 shows the incidences of poverty and hardcore poverty in Sabah and Sarawak in 1999 and 2012. TABLE 4: INCIDENCE OF POVERTY AND HARDCORE POVERTY, SABAH AND SARAWAK, 1999, 2012 YEAR Incidence of Poverty (%) Incidence of Hardcore Poverty (%) STATE 1999 2012 1999 2012 Sabah & Labuan Sarawak 23.4 10.9 7.8 2.4 7.1 3.0 1.6 1.0 Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOS), ‘Insiden Kemiskinan dan Kemiskinan Tegar mengikut negeri, Malaysia, 1999 - 2007(Perbelanjaan dan Pendapatan)’; KKLW, Buletin Perangkaan KKLW 2012 Malaysia’s commendable progress in reducing the incidence of poverty is attributable to its economic policy’s twin objectives of ‘growth and equity’, whereby the Government sought for economic growth that benefits all communities. 88 These objectives formed the central strategic thrust of Malaysia’s New Economic Policy in 1970 that adopted various poverty eradication strategies including, among others, by raising income levels and increasing job opportunities. 89 Later, focused efforts toward reducing poverty amongst the IP was pledged in the Eighth Malaysia Plan 2001-2005, during which the Government implemented more target-specific poverty eradication programmes. 90 Towards the above end, the Government had implemented various income generating strategies towards alleviating poverty. The following highlights two of the various KKLW (n 14), 31 Ibid. 86 Ibid. 87 Ibid. 88 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) et al, Malaysia. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Successes and Challenges, (UNDP, January 2005), 45 <http://www.un.org.my/upload/MDG_full_report.pdf>accessed 10 September 2014 89 Ibid.; EPU, ‘New Economic Policy’ <http://www.epu.gov.my/en/dasar-ekonomi-baru>accessed 24 September 2014 90 EPU, Eighth Malaysia Plan 2001-2005, 60, 73 <http://www.epu.gov.my/en/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=d354c617-8bb8-4666-97e10d7833dce1dc&groupId=283545>accessed 24 September 2014 84 85 23