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THE government’s Penghargaan Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) initiative under the MADANI framework continues to receive praise from the public, with beneficiaries urging for an expansion in the list of eligible goods to include fresh produce.
Currently, SARA covers 14 categories of essential items, including household cleaning products, which were added in May. However, many believe the inclusion of perishable goods such as chicken and vegetables would offer even greater benefit to lower-income households.
“All the items currently included are basic household necessities that we stock regularly,” said Zarina Mat Nayan, a 55-year-old trader, when met at a supermarket earlier today. “But it would be better if the government could extend the list to include fresh produce like chicken and vegetables. These are also essential items.”
Zarina, who has yet to redeem her SARA allocation, explained that overcrowding at participating retail outlets has made it difficult to make purchases using the aid.
“This morning, I went to a convenience store to use the SARA credit, but there were too many people queueing, so I came to this supermarket instead,” she said. “But it was the same here—long lines at the counter—so I gave up on redeeming today.”
She plans to use her SARA credit to purchase basic staples such as cooking oil, rice, flour, soy sauce, and sugar.
Meanwhile, private college student Nur Aleeya Natasha Mohd Shah, 18, said she has yet to fully utilise the RM100 received through the programme.
“On the first day (31 August), I bought some snacks and instant noodles using SARA and still have about RM70 left. I’ll probably use the rest to get household items,” she said. “Maybe the government could consider widening the categories of eligible goods for young people too.”
The Penghargaan SARA, a one-off cash aid of RM100, was announced by the government in conjunction with this year’s National Day celebrations. The initiative benefits all Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above, covering some 22 million people. It involved an additional RM2 billion in funding, bringing the total allocation for the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and SARA programmes this year to RM15 billion—the highest in the nation’s history for cash assistance.
The Ministry of Finance reported that the initiative is progressing smoothly on its sixth day of implementation, with over RM107.1 million in sales recorded as of 9.30pm, involving 1.7 million recipients. Transaction success rates remain stable at 99 per cent, credited to system upgrades and expanded processing capacity over the past five days.
Since the launch of Penghargaan SARA on 31 August 2025, more than 8.3 million Malaysians have made purchases using both the one-off and monthly SARA credits. Total public spending under the programme has reached RM536.9 million nationwide over six days. - Sept 6, 2025