KOTA KINABALU: Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali hopes that the allocation for the Program Jualan Rahmah Madani can be increased in Budget 2027 to allow it to be further expanded and benefit more people.
He said the encouraging response and savings enjoyed by the public demonstrated the programme’s relevance as a cost-of-living intervention, forming the basis of the government’s commitment to continue and expand it.
“Therefore, we hope and appeal to the Finance Ministry, in particular, to consider increasing the allocation in Budget 2027, as this is a programme that directly reaches the people, allowing them to benefit from the subsidy in a targeted and direct manner on the ground,” he said here yesterday.
Armizan noted that with a specific allocation established under Budget 2024, the ministry had been able to set annual and monthly implementation targets, providing greater certainty for planning and allowing the programme to be rolled out more widely across the country.
He said the dedicated allocation had also enabled the ministry to increase the frequency and reach of the sales programme, giving more communities access to discounted essential goods.
He added that from January 2023 to Sept 23, 2026, Rahmah sales recorded a total of 81,455,623 transactions, with the figure showing a significant increase each year.
“Of that total, 9,244,504 transactions were recorded in 2023, rising to 12,826,708 transactions in 2024.
“With the increased allocation, public participation rose significantly, reaching 27,534,770 transactions in 2025 and surging further to 31,849,641 transactions from Jan 1 to Sept 23, 2026,” Armizan said.
He said the increase in transactions reflected the public’s positive response to the programme, which offers daily necessities at prices 10% to 30% lower than local market rates.
Meanwhile, Armizan said public access to information on events had also been improved in tandem with the expanded scale of the programme.
He said the public could now check the schedule via the programme’s website and the Info Jualan Rahmah Madani app.
He added that starting Oct 1, special stickers bearing a QR code for the schedule would be introduced at selected public hotspots nationwide.
“The installation of these special stickers is subject to the request and consent of the premises’ management or owners.
“By scanning the QR code, the public can refer to the schedule to check the dates and locations of events held near their respective areas.
“Locations where the stickers are being displayed include public housing areas, public markets, farmers’ markets and tamu (traditional markets), halls and community centres, public transport terminals, places of worship, religious institutions and business premises,” he added.
