Ramadan is a time of great spiritual significance, a month of joy, reflection, and piety. And by the time the first weekend rolls around, a particular kind of complaint.
While there is much to be grateful for, one thing most Malaysians agree on, whatever their race and religion, is that the price of the food sold at Ramadan bazaars is really high.
I haven’t had time to do a market survey this year, but last year, newspapers reported that murtabak prices jumped from RM5 or RM6 in 2023 to RM7, while roti John kambing soared from RM10 to RM15.
Even Al Jazeera noted that a simple buka puasa meal of beef rendang, sayur lodeh, and seri muka had increased between 2023 and 2024 by 7%, to RM6.90. (Frankly, that still sounds like a steal; I need to know where they shopped, please!)
Meanwhile, hotel buffets have transcended the indulgent to reach new heights. Barely any can be found below RM100, and one Kuala Lumpur hotel is charging up to RM328++ per person.
For comparison, when I wrote about the exorbitant prices of Ramadan buffets in 2013, the most expensive on offer was RM138. While some of this can be explained by inflation, according to the Malaysia Statistics Department’s (DOSM) Malaysia CPI Inflation Calculator, the equivalent price for that RM138 buffet now should be around RM170. The truth is, the prices charged by some are almost double that, because the market is willing to bear it.
Indeed, spending is on the whole up during the fasting month. Research by data firm TGM in 2023 found that 30% of Malaysian Muslims spend more during Ramadan, and 70% see it as “the time to find the best deals”. In 2023, the DOSM reported that Ramadan and Aidilfitri bazaars in 2023 generated RM2.5bil in revenue and employed over 200,000 workers.
So more spending and more business – surely it makes the economy better?
It’s not quite as simple as that. On the whole, Ramadan is seen as having an overall negative impact on a country’s economic output, especially in the Middle East. A 2013 Saudi Arabian news report estimated that productivity declines by 35% to 50% due to shorter working hours and lifestyle changes.
More generally, a study by economists Filipe Campante and David Yanagizawa-Drott using data from 167 countries over 61 years found that longer fasting hours correlate with lower economic growth. For example, if fasting hours in Bangladesh increased from 12 to 13, they estimated GDP growth could drop by 0.6 to 0.9 percentage points.
Why? While fasting-related fatigue can reduce concentration, many workers also reduce their working hours to prepare for the breaking of fast, and to recover from late night Tarawih prayer sessions.
There is also a shift from formal employment to self-employment. For example, think of all the Ramadan bazaar vendors who only sell food for one month a year. However, it’s arguable how much of that is ultimately productive. The Consumers Association of Penang for example estimates that food wastage spikes by 15% to 20% during Ramadan, with around 90,000 tonnes discarded in 2023 alone. Imagine all that effort cooking food for the masses, only to discard it by the end of the day.
Yet, despite the grumbling over higher prices, sluggish productivity, and wasted food, people actually enjoy Ramadan.
For a start, that same study by Campante and Yanagizawa-Drott cited earlier also found that Muslims report themselves as being happier during Ramadan. They measured something called subjective well-being (SWB) through the World Values Survey, which asked questions about how happy people are, as well as how satisfied they are with life. Their conclusion was that Ramadan fasting increases measured SWB for Muslims for these indicators.
While it’s a little harder to quantify happiness and life satisfaction, the authors estimated that an increase in fasting hours by one hour increased the likelihood of happiness by four percentage points, and life satisfaction by nine percentage points.
They concluded, “While Ramadan fasting has an important material cost in Muslim countries, it is associated with Muslims feeling significantly happier and more satisfied with their lives”.
They also observed that the decline in productivity isn’t forced, but rather a conscious decision. People devote more time to spiritual activities such as prayer, and to greater socialisation, be it through buka puasa gatherings, charity programmes, or the simple act of checking in on neighbours to drop off some kuih.
They conclude, “In light of such a possibility, it may not be that puzzling that longer Ramadan fasting makes people ‘poorer, but happier’”.
So while people gripe about the increased cost and spending during Ramadan, they are simultaneously happy to make these small sacrifices for the benefit of a greater good.
The increase in prices and disruption that Ramadan brings is actually welcomed as part and package of the greater good, similar to what you might see during Christmas or Chinese New Year with cramped households as relatives make nice with each other for that one day a year. Though Ramadan lasts a month. And so does Syawal too, the month after that.
Prices go up, but so does generosity. Productivity goes down, but we take more time to get to know our brethren better. And while we fast, we ultimately take in much more that makes us feel good.
In his fortnightly column, Contradictheory, mathematician-turned-scriptwriter Dzof Azmi explores the theory that logic is the antithesis of emotion but people need both to make sense of life’s vagaries and contradictions. Write to Dzof at lifestyle@thestar.com.my. The views expressed here are entirely the writer's own.
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