Finance Minister II says RM100 ‘SARA Untuk Semua’ aid reaches millions, with unspent funds redirected to vulnerable groups like PwDs
BALIK PULAU: About 8.1 million people have redeemed the RM100 ‘SARA Untuk Semua’ one-off assistance as of last Friday. Total spending under the initiative has reached nearly RM780 million.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the strong response reflects the government’s effective approach to delivering direct aid. He stated this helps ease cost-of-living pressures for recipients.
“For this round of ‘SARA Untuk Semua’, we have also expanded the categories of items that can be purchased, including frozen food, giving recipients more choices to meet their daily needs,” he said. Amir Hamzah spoke after a MADANI Adopted Village outreach programme in Kampung Pulau Betong.
He added that any unspent allocations from better-off recipients will be rechanneled to those in greater need. This includes persons with disabilities and patients with chronic illnesses.
The minister noted that RM150 million was returned last year for programmes targeting vulnerable groups. He highlighted the government’s three-year fiscal reforms, including targeted fuel subsidies.
Savings from these subsidy reforms are redistributed through increased allocations for SARA and Rahmah Cash Assistance (STR). Amir Hamzah said combined allocations for SARA and STR now total RM15 billion.
This compares to the RM6 billion allocated under the previous ‘Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia’ (BR1M) scheme. The current system aims to ensure fairer and more accurate delivery to target groups.
Cost-of-living efforts are also strengthened by nationwide ‘Rahmah’ sales of essential goods. These sales are held up to three times a month in each state constituency.
The initiative provides wider public access to affordable essential items. This is particularly crucial amid ongoing cost pressures.
The government is also pursuing structural reforms under the MADANI Economy framework. A key focus is raising both income floors and ceilings for Malaysians.
Measures include raising the minimum wage to RM1,700. Two rounds of civil service salary adjustments have also been implemented over two years.
These adjustments provide average increases of up to 15%. Government-linked investment companies have also shifted from a minimum wage to a living wage approach.
They have set RM3,100 as the minimum living wage. Amir Hamzah expressed hope this would signal the private sector to adopt similar measures.
The Sun Malaysia
