KUALA LUMPUR: For many B40 families, preparations for Hari Raya will be minimal. Biscuits and clothes for the children are a priority, but not curtains or sprucing up the home.
Norlia Che Ros, 64, who lives in a low-cost flat, said Hari Raya for her had never been about buying new things but more about the food.
“To us, Hari Raya is when we have money. Otherwise, it is just like any other day. No new curtains or carpets as everything has become too costly. Food ingredients have shot up, so we have to be careful how we spend,” she said.
Her 39-year-old daughter Norbaizura Shahruddin said there was limited preparations for the festive season.
Norbaizura, who sells roti john on the ground floor of PPR Intan Putri, said, “Ingredients are costly, especially chicken and eggs. I have had to increase the price of roti john by RM1. I also have to make do with Grade A eggs, instead of Grade AA.”
She said business has been slow.
“In previous years, I would have received catering orders for Raya open houses by now. None have come in this year,” she said.
Her neighbour Mohd Rafail Isahak, 52, makes a living by taking on temporary jobs and selling biscuits.
He said the cost of ingredients had doubled but he maintained the price of the biscuits.
“I am not well versed with running a business online, so I do everything manually and supply to stalls. And since we are doing everything ourselves, there is only a certain number of orders that we can accept,” he said.
In view of the rising costs, the father of four said the only priority was to buy clothes for the children.
“My wife and I can wear last year’s outfits. I have not thought about any other preparations,” said Rafail.
“We have not even visited a Ramadan bazaar so far. It is just a matter of trying to make ends meet every day.”
Besides the RM120 monthly rent for the two-room flat, he said there were other bills that he had to take care of.
“We just have to carry on. Before the pandemic, it was not this bad,” he said.
It will also be a quiet occasion for Arbiyah Jamhari, 61, and husband Abu Tahir Ibrahim, 77.
“No balik kampung for us to Batu Pahat, Johor. It will be too costly. I only bought some biscuits in case my grandchildren come by. Maybe I will cook some rendang, but no new clothes for both of us. No one will see us anyway,” she said.
Arbiyah said she worked as a cleaner for 15 years and raised her eight children in the low-cost flat.
“I thought of giving the walls a new coat of paint, but things are too expensive,” she said.
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