BALIK PULAU, Feb 15 — About 8.1 million recipients have redeemed the RM100 one-off SARA For All aid as of last Friday, with total spending amounting to nearly RM780 million, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said.
He said the strong response to the initiative reflects the effectiveness of the government’s approach in ensuring assistance reaches the people directly to help ease cost-of-living pressures.
“For this round of ‘SARA For All’, we have also expanded the categories of items that can be purchased, including frozen food, giving recipients more choices to meet their daily needs,” he told a press conference here today after the Finance Minister II Madani Adopted Village outreach programme at Kampung Pulau Betong here.
Amir Hamzah said any unredeemed SARA For All allocations by better-off recipients would be channelled back to those in need, including people with disabilities and patients with chronic illnesses, adding that RM150 million was returned last year for programmes targeting vulnerable groups.
He said that over the past three years, the government has implemented fiscal reforms through targeted measures, including the targeting of diesel and petrol subsidies to curb leakages, with the resulting savings redistributed to the people through increased allocations for SARA and Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR).
He said allocations for SARA and STR now total RM15 billion, compared with RM6 billion under the previous Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), ensuring aid is delivered more fairly and accurately to target groups.
He said efforts to address the cost of living have also been strengthened through programmes under the Rahmah initiative, including sales of essential goods at lower prices across all state constituencies nationwide.
Rahmah sales are held up to three times a month in each constituency, providing wider access for the public to obtain essential items at affordable prices, particularly amid ongoing cost pressures.
Amir Hamzah added that the government is pursuing structural economic reforms under the Madani Economy framework, with a focus on raising the income floor and ceiling, especially by increasing people’s salaries.
“Among the measures taken are raising the minimum wage to RM1,700, as well as implementing two rounds of civil service salary adjustments over two years, with average increases of up to 15 per cent.
“In addition, government-linked investment companies (GLICs) have shifted from minimum wage practices to a living wage approach, setting RM3,100 as the minimum, which we hope will signal the private sector to adopt similar measures,” Amir Hamzah said.
