5/09/2025

FRIDAY | SEP T 5, 2025

6

Nationwide cheer over Sara aid

Govt keen to buffer cost of living impact Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com PETALING JAYA: The government has ramped up efforts to cushion households from the rising cost of living, with 15,308 Jualan Rahmah Madani Programme sessions held nationwide between Jan 1 and Aug 31. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali told the Senate yesterday that this was a marked increase compared with 12,419 sessions in 2024 and 6,870 in 2023. “Following the additional allocations announced by the prime minister on July 23, the ministry has set a target of 20,000 sessions in 2025, representing a 191% increase from 2023 and a 61% rise from 2024,” he said. As of Tuesday, 1,234 strategic partners have participated in the programme, including hypermarkets, supermarkets, wholesalers, grocery shops, cooperatives, logistics providers, organisations and 48 public markets. Launched under the Payung Rahmah framework, the programme offers items at 10% to 30% below market prices. The initiative will cover 222 parliamentary constituencies, 600 state seats and 40 zones in the Federal Territories. Armizan also said precautionary measures were taken to stabilise supply and pricing following the government’s additional RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) cash aid for 22 million adult recipients, involving over RM2 billion in expenditure. “Among the steps taken are enhanced enforcement inspections, with 8,438 premises checked between Aug 31 and Sept 2, as well as daily monitoring of 1,160 premises covering 316 essential items by price monitoring officers. All items under the Sara programme have also been added to the ministry’s monitoring list,” he said. Between Aug 31 and Tuesday, the ministry received five official complaints, including two related to Sara. Armizan stressed that under its SOP, all complaints on pricing and supply must be resolved within 24 hours by the ministry. More than 2.9 million recipients used the cash aid in the first three days, with public spending hitting RM192.4 million nationwide. The Finance Ministry said the highest volume was recorded on Tuesday, with over 1.1 million transactions.

KUALA LUMPUR: The one-off Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) cash aid of RM100, an amount previously questioned by some quarters, has proven to significantly ease household expenses while also stimulating the domestic economy. Since the aid was distributed to all Malaysians aged 18 and above starting on National Day last Sunday, social media platforms have been flooded with posts of recipients sharing how they used the assistance to purchase basic necessities. In Kuala Lumpur, many recipients told Bernama they regard the aid as a meaningful gesture that helps the B40 group cope with the rising cost of living. For Nabila Mohd Azmai, 36, from Damansara, the aid arrived at a crucial time, as her household currently relies solely on her husband’s income. “This assistance really helps with buying rice, eggs and other dry goods for the month. Although wet items aren’t covered under Sara, being able to get rice and eggs is enough,” she said when met at a supermarket here. Another aid recipient, Zamri Ahmad, 55, said the cash assistance not only allows people from all income levels to obtain necessities at reasonable prices but also helps small traders clear their stock. “I came to buy other items but noticed the essentials that can be purchased with Sara. Alhamdulillah , at least I can help those in need while getting various items at affordable prices,” said the executive officer of a private company. The positive impact of the initiative was also felt outside the capital. In Pahang, single mother and factory operator Norlia Abdullah, 48, said the aid was a great relief, enabling her to stretch her household expenses for more than a month. She paid just an additional RM1.85 for a basket of kitchen essentials that included rice, cooking oil, snacks, fast food, laundry items and personal hygiene products, worth over RM200, after combining the RM100 Sara assistance with her monthly MyKasih aid. o Recipients commend hassle-free initiative to ease burden of rising costs

Many Sara recipients have commended the aid as a meaningful gesture that helps the B40 group cope with the rising cost of living. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

children to be set aside for emergencies, especially during the flood season. Her eldest child and son-in-law said they intend to use the aid to purchase baby essential items. “All three of my children, aged between 22 and 27, still live with me. Two of them help out at the restaurant, while the youngest is disabled and has autism. Renting a separate home is costly, so we chose to stay together and save where we can,” she said. “To be honest, my income is just enough to cover food, housing and car payments. That’s why I felt truly grateful and moved when the prime minister announced the aid. I have never received any assistance before, not even under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah cash aid,” she said. In Kelantan, Ab Manaf Mat Shah, 68, said the Sara assistance was more than just financial aid, but also an opportunity to instil the habit of spending wisely and prudently within his family. The businessman said all nine of his children, their spouses and three grandchildren aged 18 and above were eligible for the aid, bringing the total amount received to RM2,100. He added that the funds would be used thoughtfully, prioritising essential needs. The Sara assistance, distributed via MyKad beginning Aug 31, benefits 22 million Malaysians with a total allocation of RM2 billion.

Meanwhile, housewife Zakiah Che Mat Mokhtar, 50, expressed hope that the Sara assistance could eventually be extended to cover wet items as well, Bernama reported. “Items with the Sara tag are fine, but it would be even better if wet goods were included, since prices of essentials like chicken and vegetables have also gone up slightly.” In Selangor, Aifa Natasha Azmi, 28, a mother of two young children, said the combination of the Sara assistance and her husband’s allocation enabled them to pay just RM1.25 for 27 basic items, including rice, eggs and other items, under the MyKasih programme. “Normally, we would spend about RM200 a month on dry goods. But this month, our family has an extra RM200 to allocate for other needs,” said the private sector employee. She added that redeeming the Sara assistance was also convenient, as recipients only need to shop at selected supermarkets as many are located close to home and simply follow the list of eligible items. Another private sector employee, Nor Zamira Che Noh, 32, said she plans to use the aid to stock up on dry food in preparation for the year-end flood season that frequently affects the area. In Terengganu, single mother and restaurant owner Norharizan Hassan, 47, said the aid was carefully planned with her two