PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded all parties not to belittle the RM100 additional cash aid for Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above under the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said that while the amount may seem small to high-income earners, it means a lot to rural communities and low-income groups.
“(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 during the Finance Ministry’s assembly here today.
The Prime Minister also explained that for a poor household with two adult children and a married couple, the cash assistance would total RM400, and when combined with the existing Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah, the amount could increase to as much as 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 said.
Anwar also took aim at remarks from certain quarters questioning the rationale behind fuel subsidy rationalisation.
“The opposition leader (Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin) questioned why we are burdening foreigners ... I find that strange. What do you expect us to do? You’re free to comment and criticise, no problem — but we’re not mistreating them or denying them their rights.
“We’re simply withdrawing subsidies because in their own countries, fuel prices are higher than RM2.50. In Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, it’s all more expensive. We remove subsidies for foreigners, and even that is considered wrong,” Anwar stressed.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced several key initiatives as a gesture of appreciation from the MADANI Government to the people, including a one-off RM100 payment under the SARA programme, a postponement of toll rate hikes for 10 highways and a reduced RON95 fuel price of RM1.99 per litre. - Bernama
