SUBANG JAYA: Malaysian shoppers do not appear to mind braving long queues to spend their RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) cash aid.
Helen Lim (pic), 76, a retiree from Subang, said that she queued up for more than an hour before it was her turn at the cashier.
"Although I had to wait, I do not mind it as I got this Sara aid from the government," she said, adding that this would help with her grocery expenses.
She said she used up the entire RM100 and only had to top up RM50, which included items not eligible to be purchased using the aid.
"I'm so happy and grateful to the government. I managed to buy a lot of biscuits and powdered beverages," she said, adding that her family would use her daughter's RM100 Sara aid next month.
Similarly, Kartini Mohd Zain (pic), 56, a retiree from Puchong, said she was very happy to receive such monetary assistance for the first time.
"My family's expenses can exceed RM200 a month,' said Kartini, saying the aid came as a huge relief.
The mother of five said that she and her husband used the money in their MyKads to buy household items and only had to top up an additional RM30.
"There are seven of us in the family, so we need a lot of food and other items like soap. Three of my children also received the aid but I have told them to use it for their own expenses," she said.
Kunaratnam Marakandu (pic), 86, from Subang, said he used his and his wife's aid totalling RM200 as well as RM150 of his own as some items were not covered.
"This aid is good and I've already used it all," he said, showing his trolley filled with household goods.
"I had to top up some because wet food like fish is not covered by the aid.
"In the future, I hope the amount will be higher and not limited to just a few items like now," he said.
Meanwhile, Kishaan Karanakaran, 26, a banker from Subang, said there are four people in his family who received the aid.
"We used RM200 today and will keep the other RM200 to prepare for Deepavali next month," he said.
He also praised the government's initiative but said he hope more brands could be available for purchase with the aid.
A group of four students who share a dormitory said the aid helped to pay for their household items.
"We bought a lot of things with the RM100 from the government. Usually, we have to use our study loan or personal allowances," said 21-year-old diploma student Auni Maisarah Amani Abdullah from Subang, who bought rice, biscuits and bottles of mineral water.
It was reported that more than 2.9 million people have purchased essential goods using the RM100 Sara aid in the first three days of its availability, with total public spending reaching RM192.4mil nationwide.
Iffendi Shafie, 43, from Shah Alam, said the Sara aid has relieved his financial pressures on household items. —AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Kartini bought food items with her Sara aid at a supermarket. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Lim (right) showing the items she bought with her RM100 Sara aid. —AZMAN GHANI/The Star
Jenisha Mohammad Firdaus,31 from Puchong buying household items with her Sara aid. —AZMAN GHANI/The Star
