Five essential goods for RM1 at Johor Harapan's 'shop' for the needy

Johor Pakatan Harapan is seeking to address the rising cost of living by selling five essential goods to those in need for just RM1.

For RM1, customers can get a 1kg pack of rice, and four other items of their choosing, including sugar, flour, cooking oil, condensed creamer, coffee, tea, or soy sauce, among others.

The "Kedai Peduli Rakyat" programme was initiated by the Johor Amanah women's wing over a year ago, and is now a mainstay of Harapan's activities in rural areas.

The programme caters to up to 50 people at a time, where customers, mostly women, gather at a site near their homes for a brief ceramah before the shopping begins.

Muar Harapan activist Abdullah Said explained that customers are those from the low-income group, whom the coalition have identified as those who would benefit from the sale.

"The goods are contributed by donors or are bought using funds that we collect," he told Malaysiakini when met at a Kedai Peduli Rakyat programme near Sarang Buaya, Muar on Friday.

He added that while the minimum payment is RM1, those who can afford to are encouraged to pay a little extra, to help fund the next Kedai Peduli Rakyat programme in another village.

The customers Malaysiakini spoke to at two Kedai Peduli Rakyat programmes in Sungai Pulai and Sarang Buaya paid between RM1 to RM5 for their goods - with the extra money paid meant to help fund the shop in other villages.

Housewife Afiqah Salleh, 25, whose husband earns around RM1,000 a month as a lorry driver, said she got about RM20 worth of goods from the programme.

"It's really worth it, and you only need to pay seikhlas hati(what you can afford sincerely)," the mother of three said.

For her and others, such as fellow coupon recipient Mohd Shafiq Abu Bakar, 25, it is hard to cope with the regular price of goods in Muar.

"I don't earn enough, so I have to tighten my belt... Goods are just too expensive," said Mohd Shafiq (photo), who raises two children on his RM1,500 salary as an oil palm transporter.

Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat

Shoppers met at the government's Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat programme in Sungai Balang, Muar expressed similar gripes with rising costs.

"You used to get a full trolley with RM200, now you don't get much at all," housewife Fatimah Samad, 49, told Malaysiakini.

Seventy-year-old retiree Mat Sirun Muin (photo), meanwhile, said the BN initiative needs to be held more often as they offer considerable discounts.

Among the discounts observed at the Sungai Balang Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat was a 10kg bag of Faiza Emas brand rice selling for RM22, down from RM35, while a smaller 5kg bag was sold with an RM2 discount at RM11.

A whole chicken, meanwhile, was sold for RM10, while frozen fresh ikan selayang (sardines) were sold for RM9 per kg.

The Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat programme was introduced in January this year following growing discontent over rising price of goods.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin remarked that it was possible to buy groceriesfor a family of four, including chicken and fish, at the government market with just RM85.

Last December, celebrity figures such as Sheila Majid caused a stir when she raised concerns about the price of goods, which later became a talking point at the Umno general assembly.

And early last month, Ameer Ali Mydin, the managing director of popular hypermarket chain Mydin, said that the country's high GDP figure did not translate into more purchasing power for consumers, seen in people spending less on groceries. -Mkini