KUALA LUMPUR: A PKR lawmaker has suggested that the Government fine-tune the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme to prevent big supermarket chains from dominating it.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said while the programme is popular and has helped ease the cost of living, its current design risks pushing traditional retailers out of business.
“Sara is a good programme. It is popular with the people and it helps reduce the cost of living. People like Rahmah sales,” he said when debating at Dewan Rakyat on Monday (June 22).
“But when we look at the partners, we see mostly large supermarket chains. People now buy daily essentials at supermarkets. The effect is that small sundry shops on the outskirts of towns and in villages are affected.
“In trying to reduce the cost of living, which is a good aim, many small shops are forced to close,” he said.
Hassan also pointed to the payment system under Sara, which uses MyKad and a fully digital set-up, with no cash-based option.
“This is progress, no one can deny that. But the issue is that only the big supermarkets have complete digital systems.
He stressed that he was not against the participation of major supermarket chains in Sara, but called for their role to be limited and more space given to cooperatives.
“The Government should encourage more cooperatives to join the Sara programme,” he said, adding that some local cooperatives have strong capital and can build the digital ecosystem needed to run Sara.
Hassan also took aim at how Rahmah sales and Sara-related programmes are rolled out on the ground, alleging uneven implementation in Johor Baru.
He said some areas seem to get frequent Rahmah sales while his own constituency does not.
“In Johor Baru, where Pasir Gudang is located, the implementation does not look fair. Some places always have Rahmah sales, but in the Pasir Gudang parliamentary area, we are sidelined,” he said.
Hassan, who sits on the special select committee on the cost of living and has been recognised by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry as a “Friend of the Ministry”, said his office’s appeals had not been entertained.
