KUALA LUMPUR: The RM100 Sara assistance that will be disbursed again for all Malaysians in mid-February next year was a surprise announcement, even for Cabinet Ministers, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
According to Loke, the assistance was not even raised by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the weekly Cabinet meeting on Friday (Oct 10) morning.
“This was a surprise from the PM. It was not mentioned during the Cabinet meeting this morning,” said Loke during a press conference in Parliament on Friday.
Loke said this shows that the government is able to channel assistance to the people when it succeeds in fiscal consolidation.
When tabling Budget 2026, Anwar announced RM100 in Sara assistance to 22 million Malaysians aged 18 and above, with disbursements scheduled for mid-February next year.
Anwar said this was to help with preparations for Ramadan and the Chinese New Year celebrations.
In July, the one-off RM100 Sara aid was first announced for all Malaysians aged 18 and above, in conjunction with the National Day celebration on Aug 31.
At the same time, Loke also thanked the Finance Ministry for including several suggestions by the Transport Ministry in Budget 2026.
Among them is an incentive for heavy vehicle operators to install speed limitation devices in their respective vehicles.
“This means that after this, there will be no excuses for not installing the device, as there is an incentive by the government now,” added Loke.
Loke also commended the Finance Ministry for including a proposal by his ministry to introduce a vehicle scrapping incentive worth up to RM4,000 under Budget 2026 for owners of vehicles older than 20 years old to replace them with new cars.
He also thanked the government for retaining the unlimited monthly travel passes, such as My50 pass for Klang Valley commuters and the FLYSiswa program for East Malaysian students studying in the Peninsula.
