PETALING JAYA: In a move to help lower-income families have an enjoyable and funfilled Hari Raya, Mydin is selling Baju Raya at a discount as part of the Jualan Rahmah project, which is being promoted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said it is selling Baju Raya for men, women and children at RM30 each.
He added that the outfits were previously priced between RM79 and RM89.
He said seven outlets under the Mydin group are taking part in the programme.
“We have set aside 10,000 sets of Baju Raya, and once they are sold the programme comes to an end.
“This is part of the Mydin group’s corporate social responsibility.
“We also want to help lower- income families, as many of them are going through hard times and every bit of money they can save can go towards having a more enjoyable Hari Raya.”
Ameer said there has been very good demand for Baju Raya as the selling price is very reasonable.
“It will not be easy for suppliers to reduce their prices as they too need to make a profit, and many of them are only now recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. Hence, this is our initiative.”
Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said he would raise in the Cabinet his proposal to compensate billionaires who help pay for “affordable hypermarkets” catering to low-income earners.
Salahuddin, who previously floated the idea while debating Budget 2023, said the concept is still in its infancy and must be further developed.
He had suggested giving billionaires tax breaks in their other businesses as one option for their support for the proposed affordable hypermarkets initiative.
He added that he wanted to discuss this with his ministry’s officers and relevant stakeholders, and if everyone agreed, he would bring it to the Cabinet for consideration.
Salahuddin said the idea is that affordable hypermarkets would offer basic goods and essentials at up to 30% less than typical market prices, adding that the move is specifically to cater to the low-income population.
He said the main point is to provide options to consumers.
Ameer said he did not have enough information about affordable hypermarkets to comment on the initiative.
He said Mydin hypermarket’s main target group is low-income families, and items at their outlets are priced reasonably and within the reach of B40 families.
“Previously, there used to be programmes organised by Mydin and MPs in specific stores to help the public buy essential items such as rice, sugar and flour, among others.
“For example, a bag of 5kg rice might be set at RM12 but it was sold at Mydin stores for RM10. The RM2 difference was subsidised by the MPs through allocations they obtained from the government. This went a long way in helping B40 families.”
Ameer said any initiative that helped to ease the burden of B40 families at a time when the cost of living keeps going up must be welcomed and promoted.
Jualan Rahmah is another of the ministry’s initiatives to offer basic essential goods at a discounted price. Current participants of the initiative include Mydin, Speedmart 99, KK Mart and Aeon Big.
