SARA scheme surpasses RM1 billion in spending within three weeks

MORE than 12.5 million Malaysians have spent in excess of RM1 billion on essential goods within three weeks of the nationwide rollout of the ‘Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) Untuk Semua’ programme, underscoring strong public uptake of the targeted cost-of-living initiative.

The Ministry of Finance said the scheme, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, reflects savings generated through fiscal restructuring and tighter governance.

“SARA for All is the result of savings achieved through the restructuring of the nation’s finances. Leakages have been closed, governance has been strengthened, and the savings generated have been returned to the people.

“This proves that when national revenue is distributed fairly, the benefits are felt by households across the country,” said Anwar, who also serve as Finance Minister.

First-day sales under this year’s implementation reached RM97 million, nearly double the RM50.7 million recorded on the first day last year, signalling significantly higher participation and system readiness.

Finance Minister II Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the ministry had strengthened the technical infrastructure to ensure seamless transactions.

“From 3,782 transactions per minute on the first day of implementation last year, the system is now capable of processing more than 11,000 transactions per minute without any delay or disruption,” he said.

The programme’s use of MyKad as the delivery mechanism has streamlined access to targeted assistance while ensuring efficient and orderly disbursement.

To date, 56 per cent of recipients have utilised their RM100 SARA credit, which remains valid until 31 December 2026.

Geographically, redemption rates have been strongest in Borneo and in the east coast and northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia. Sabah recorded a 70 per cent redemption rate, followed by Perlis at 65 per cent and Kelantan and Labuan at 64 per cent each.

Terengganu and Kedah both registered 63 per cent, Sarawak 62 per cent and Pahang 60 per cent.

In total, 12,500,987 out of 22,431,772 recipients have redeemed their credits, amounting to RM1,002,284,774 spent, or 45 per cent of the overall allocation.

Beyond easing household expenses, the scheme has provided a boost to local economic activity.

The number of participating SARA retail partners now includes more than 4,400 small grocery shops nationwide, in addition to established supermarket chains, bringing the total number of premises accepting SARA transactions to over 11,300.

The government aims to expand the number of participating small retailers to 10,000 by the end of 2026, increasing the total number of SARA partner outlets to 20,000.

This expansion is expected to reduce the average distance to participating premises to approximately seven kilometres, compared with 10 kilometres currently, thereby improving accessibility for communities across the country. - 4 March 2026