PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged the public not to belittle the RM100 one-off cash aid under the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) scheme, saying such support holds real significance for those facing economic hardship.
Speaking during the Ministry of Finance’s monthly assembly on Wednesday, Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, said critics often overlook the realities of rural and lower-income communities.
“(Critics say) it’s just RM100, but you’re earning RM40,000 or RM20,000 a month. Of course, RM100 means nothing to you, but I know its value when we go to the villages,” he said.
He pointed out that a household made up of a couple and two adult children could receive RM400 from the SARA payout alone. When combined with existing assistance under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah scheme, the total could reach up to RM700.
“So don’t trivialise these efforts, because this is what we (the government) can do to add to the existing allocation, from RM13 billion to RM15 billion,” Anwar added.
The Prime Minister also took aim at criticism from the opposition regarding the rationalisation of fuel subsidies—particularly the decision to remove petrol subsidies for foreign nationals in Malaysia.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin had questioned the policy, to which Anwar responded: “I find this odd. What do you do? You can criticise, no issue, but we are not punishing them or seizing their rights.
“We’re simply removing a subsidy that they don’t even receive in their home countries, where fuel costs more than RM2.50 per litre—in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, all are higher. And even that is seen as wrong?”
Anwar’s remarks came a day after unveiling several measures under the “Penghargaan untuk Rakyat Malaysia” initiative, including the RM100 SARA payment, the postponement of toll hikes on 10 highways, and the introduction of a targeted fuel subsidy programme that will reduce RON95 petrol to RM1.99 per litre from late September. - July 24, 2025
