PETALING JAYA: The Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) has called on non-food and beverage businesses to follow the Menu Rahmah concept and offer lower service charges and discounts to the people.
Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader said Menu Rahmah should not be confined only to food and beverage establishments but also involve other businesses and services, especially essential ones that meet the basic needs of the lower-income group.
“These can include those dealing with school supplies, electricity, telecommunications and affordable housing. The retail price and rates of their products can be lowered to help the people during this time of need.”
Mohideen said thousands of people lost their jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic and are unable to sustain the high cost of living due to global inflation.
Menu Rahmah was set in motion by the government, which roped in food and beverage operators to alleviate the people’s burden through affordable meals.
“Apart from food retail establishments, stakeholders in the telecommunication and electricity sectors could reduce their rates, while those in the housing industry could look into rental options for their unsold units. These are just temporary measures.
“However, any extension of the Menu Rahmah initiative to other businesses and services must be sustainable to reduce any potential losses to participants, while effectively targeting only the B40 and M40 for the discounted services,” he told theSun.
Mohideen also suggested the government prioritise agriculture to ensure the industry is sustainable in terms of food supply and prices in the long run.
“The only improvement that Menu Rahmah needs at the moment is to extend the concept of people getting quality meals within RM5, to other essential industries and services.”
Universiti Utara Malaysia School of Economics, Finance and Banking senior lecturer Dr Abu Sufian Abu Bakar said the idea of extending the concept to other services can be done. But it needs a cost-effective execution mechanism.
“There are many variables that could extend the Menu Rahmah concept for implementation in other industries. This will be more challenging than the RM5 meals sold at eateries.
“The government, under the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Economy, and Agriculture and Food Security ministries need to oversee the supply and demand dynamics for this to work.
“Whether the discounts are given through segregation of income (groups) or the difference of inflation between cities and states, need to be looked into as well.”
Abu Sufian said last month, the Transport Ministry implemented a similar concept as Menu Rahmah, the MyRailLife initiative, where school students and the differently-abled can ride for free on Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad trains in the Klang Valley.
He added that the Communications and Digital Ministry also launched a “Unity Package” in December for prepaid mobile internet plans at a low price of RM5 per month.
“Monitoring the Consumer Price Index is the key to reducing the cost of services while maintaining their quality.
“In the index, food is the most essential and has inflated on average by 6.75% since the beginning of the year, compared with 3.6% in 2022.
“Reacting to the data, and encouraged by the government, food establishments started to offer cheaper options,” he said.
“If the situation becomes worse, the government is expected to introduce food-related policies and targeted subsidies so businesses will not lose confidence and collapse from loss of profits.”
