Anwar: Critics of RM100 aid forget it's just a supplement

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the one-off RM100 Rahmah Necessities Aid (Sara) appreciation aid for individuals aged 18 and above is among the government’s measures to address cost-of-living pressures, not the sole solution.

He said the aid, disbursed from Aug 31, serves as a supplement to the MySara and Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) programmes.

“When we talk about Sara (appreciation aid), indeed, some criticise and say ‘what can RM100 do?’ But they forget that Sara is an addition to the MySara programme, an addition to STR. How much have we given to the people? Nine million individuals.

“When I discussed this with my friends abroad, especially Asean leaders, they asked - out of a population of 34 million, we spend RM15 billion to assist nine million. Most of them said they could not afford to do this,” he said in a recorded video speech shared on Facebook.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, delivered the speech at the closing ceremony of the Kedah edition of the Madani Rakyat Programme at the Baling District Council Sports Complex in Kedah yesterday.

He also reportedly said the Sara initiative is admired by foreign leaders, even though they acknowledged it is something difficult to replicate.

Yesterday, the Finance Ministry said the seventh day of the Sara Appreciation initiative went smoothly, recording total sales of RM100 million involving 1.7 million recipients as of 10.30pm, with a 99.9 percent success rate in transactions.

The one-off Sara Appreciation Aid, announced in conjunction with National Day 2025, benefits 22 million people and involves an additional RM2 billion, bringing the total allocation for STR and Sara this year to RM15 billion - the highest in the nation’s cash assistance history.

- Bernama

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