Policy analyst Prof Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria says the information gathered by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, during a fact-finding mission in Malaysia should serve as a wake up call for the government to look at the reality of poverty and not just the statistics.

He also urged the government to set up a special consultative council to follow up on the report and make the needed changes.

On Friday, Alston disputed the government’s assertion that it has nearly eliminated poverty, saying that official figures were vastly inaccurate and do not reflect realities on the ground.