Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan's comments on Malaysians' reported decrease in buying groceries show disregard for the troubles that the average citizen faces, said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.

"Rahman’s dismissive attitude towards Mydin’s claim shows just how out of touch the BN government is from the daily struggles faced by average Malaysians.

"If even low-priced hypermarkets like Mydin are facing weakened consumer demand, where does the minister expect Malaysians to be buying their everyday groceries?

"Does he think Malaysians are going abroad to do their groceries?" Pua said in a statement today.

Rahman on Wednesday said that hypermarket sales could not be viewed as a benchmark for the country's economy as its contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) was minimal.

He said data showed that Malaysians had more money to spend, including on tourism, with Malaysian spending abroad increasing from RM31.1 billion in 2015 to RM33.5 billion in 2016.

The minister was responding to a recent remark by Ameer Ali Mydin - the managing director of popular hypermarket chain Mydin - that the country's high GDP figure did not translate into more purchasing power for consumers.

Read more: Mydin: Strong GDP but people don't have money

Pua cited the 2017 Malaysia Retail Industry Report to back up Ameer Ali's claim, noting that the report said consumers were less likely to spend money in the past year owing to the increasing cost of living.

He added the same report showed that hypermarket sales had decreased 3.1 percent in the first three quarters of 2017.

The DAP publicity chief also said that government statistics showed that food prices had risen 4 percent last year.

"The government should not be flaunting the spending statistics of Malaysians who can afford to travel abroad as proof that all Malaysians are better.

"Worse, they should not be dismissing the very real and loud complaints of average Malaysians who struggle to even afford their daily groceries.

"If the BN government has no sympathy or empathy for the ordinary men on the street, it is time for them to get the boot," he said.