KUALA LUMPUR – The RM5 “Menu Rahmah” meals will be made available in Sabah and Sarawak in the spirit of “One Malaysia”, said the boss of retail giant Mydin.
Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, managing director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd, told Bernama Radio in an interview this morning that the programme is needed in these states where costs of goods are higher than in the peninsular.
“Mydin’s prices there are also higher. But Menu Rahmah is in the spirit of One Malaysia.
“We intend to make it available there, I think today or tomorrow, starting in Sandakan, Sabah, while in Kuching, Sarawak, we have two outlets. The price is the same, at RM4.90
“This is so the people of Sabah and Sarawak won’t be left out,” he said in the interview.
The Menu Rahmah programme was launched on January 31 by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, and is an initiative led by private entrepreneurs, spearheaded by Mydin.
A full meal of protein, vegetables and rice with a drink costs only RM5, and is available at 15,000 participating eateries nationwide. These eateries comprise some 12,000 mamak restaurants, 800 Indian restaurants, 500 Kuala Lumpur-based tom yam shops, and all Mydin outlets.
Ameer told Bernama Radio that the idea for Menu Rahmah came about after restauranteurs disagreed with Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli’s call for consumers to boycott eateries that refuse to lower prices despite the cheaper cost of ingredients.
After retailers stated their concerns over Rafizi’s call, the government then proceeded to hold engagement sessions with them led by Salahuddin.
“We didn’t agree (with Rafizi’s boycott call to consumers). When the government engaged us, Salahuddin called for meetings with us, Presma (Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association), Malaysian Tomyam Owners Association and others, and we told him our challenges.
“He said he won’t force us to lower prices but asked us for solutions to help poorer Malaysians obtain cheaper food,” Ameer said, adding that the F&B groups were taken in by Salahuddin’s approach.
“He wasn’t angry, he didn’t force, he listened to us and used reasoning. So I felt, Mydin will give it a try.
“The minister asked us when we can start, and I said we can start tomorrow.”
Ameer said he hopes more F&B retailers would jump on the Menu Rahmah bandwagon, including fast food and western food outlets, adding that it is still possible to make a small profit by selling the meals at RM5.
To a question that this is “easier” for a large group like Mydin to do as it deals with wholesaling, Ameer said that is not necessarily true because of higher overheads as a big business.
“In fact, it is easier for smaller businesses or stalls to do (join the Menu Rahmah programme). They have less rental and overheads to pay.”
Because of overheads, some eateries sell a chicken chop meal at RM19.50, when the cost price is only RM4.90, he also claimed.
On Twitter, meanwhile, Salahuddin posted a video saying that Menu Rahmah meals are for “everyone”.
“Anyone who feels they need it can buy it. Because it is a menu for the people.”
In another tweet, he welcomed the participation of Chatime in the programme, with its RM5 bubble tea promotion for a month until February 28 during certain hours of the day, and also Mios Kitchen for its RM4.90 chicken chop promotion subject to terms and conditions. – The Vibes, February 3, 2023
