By Rafidah Lani
Recently, sitting at the forum titled “Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) as a Catalyst of Socioeconomic Transformation” organized by the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya, I felt like I had come full circle. I was once among those who lived in poverty, raised by an indigenous, Penan woman, and lifted out of hardship through the power of education. I remember reading about the late Royal Professor Ungku Aziz in one of my school textbooks while waiting for my mother to apply her herbal remedy to my shingles. That moment; poverty, infectious disease, and indigenous wisdom, was echoed in this forum.
Coming from a medical background, I was deeply grateful to Datin Sri Prof. Dr. Suhaiza Hanim for inviting me and other academics to this space. Dr. Usha Kanagaratnam’s explanation of MPI and its indicators in a language accessible to beginners like me was enlightening. Dr. Sue Ann Teo’s work in empowering the Penan community resonated deeply with my roots. And Puan Nurul Izzah’s enthusiasm for poverty research, paired with her command of critical statistics, was inspiring.
When I reflect on the International Day of Rural Women observed annually on 15 October, I think of my mother who never get the privilege to finish primary school. I was raised in a rural village nestled between forests and paddy fields, where the sun was both our clock and our competitor. We would wake before dawn and rush to finish our work in the fields before the midday heat made it unbearable.
Globally, rural women make up more than a quarter of the world’s population. They play a vital role in food security, climate resilience, and community well-being. Yet, they face immense challenges: poverty, limited access to healthcare and education, and the growing threat of environmental change. Despite these obstacles, they persist. They innovate. They thrive.
The MPI framework adopted in Malaysia under the 11th Malaysia Plan includes indicators beyond income, such as access to healthcare, education, sanitation, and housing. It offers a transformative lens and its refinement through the National MPI Project aims to make poverty measurement more inclusive and actionable. For indigenous women, MPI can be a powerful tool to advocate for community-based education systems, mobile health clinics, and culturally sensitive development programs. The UNDP-supported MPI revision is designed to guide evidence-based policymaking, ensuring that interventions are needs-based and community-specific. This includes expanding indicators to reflect realities such as access to traditional land, clean water, and maternal health services.
Through initiatives led by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development and the Institute for Rural Advancement (INFRA), rural women are being offered leadership training, entrepreneurship support, and access to digital tools. The National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2025-2030 further aims to ensure women’s meaningful participation in all aspects of society. These efforts give me hope that the knowledge, resilience, and spirit of rural women will not only be preserved but will continue to inspire and empower generations to come.
The intersection of poverty, infectious disease, and indigenous wisdom is not theoretical for me, it is lived experience. This forum reminded me that the legacy of the late Royal Professor Ungku Aziz lives on in thinkers and changemakers. Though we may fight from different perspectives; personal, academic, or political, our shared goal is to uplift communities.
Dr Rafidah Lani is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and an Associate Researcher at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya. She may be contacted at rafidahl@um.edu.my