KUALA LUMPUR: Since Menu Rahmah was launched on Jan 31 by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, many businesses have joined in to offer items at reduced prices to help contain the rising cost of living.
Recently, the ministry suggested that in the spirit of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting which started yesterday, at least 30% of vendors should offer Menu Rahmah at their stalls for buka puasa.
Now, vendors here have started doing exactly that, by offering lower-priced buka puasa meals.
Federal Territory Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association president Datuk Mohamad Abdullah said the association supports the implementation of Menu Rahmah at Ramadan bazaars.
“Vendors will support it by offering a few dishes priced at RM5 because there is a demand for Menu Rahmah, be it at restaurants, food stalls or fast-food franchises.”
While vendors at the Ramadan bazaar in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, did not specifically advertise Menu Rahmah, theSun spoke to visitors who said they found the food sold to be a blend of affordable and competitively priced items.
One visitor, Shasha Binchang from Sarawak, said: “I am grateful to the government for launching Menu Rahmah.
“While some of the food is sold at affordable prices and even below RM5, there are others that can be quite pricy, such as ayam golek (roasted chicken), that one stall is selling at RM25 a bird.
“The side dishes that I bought for my family of three cost me RM20, which is not too bad. I plan to buy a few more dishes for my family to enjoy during buka puasa,” she said.
Another customer, Pushpa Devi, said she gets excited when the fasting month comes around each year.
“It’s the best time of the year for my family. There are so many dishes to choose from, including traditional ones like nasi lemak, satay, fresh onde-onde and nasi kerabu.
“The dishes here are very affordable compared with many other Ramadan bazaars that I had been to in the past. This year, I can buy more food items to enjoy as I found many pre-packed meat and vegetable dishes have been priced at RM5 or below, and they come in reasonable serving sizes,” she said.
Satay seller Fitri Yani, 28, offered her grills at RM1 (chicken) and RM1.40 (beef or lamb) a stick when the average price today is much higher.
“Since opening my stall at 3pm today, I have sold only 50 sticks of satay because of the heavy rain. It’s not just Muslims who are buying them, many of my customers are Chinese and Indians.
“I do not doubt sales will pick up once the rain stops,” she said.
Ridzuan Salleh, 43, who sells Terengganu specialty keropok lekor, said he also experienced slow sales yesterday due to the bad weather. However, he was also positive that sales would pick up as “it’s only the first day of Ramadan”.
“I have been selling food at Ramadan bazaars for the past 13 years and this year, the first-day crowd started looking better than during the Covid-19 period from 2020 to 2022. But then the rain came and the crowd thinned out.
“Anyway, I have lowered the prices of most of the items at my stall to below RM5, including keropok lekor sira, keropok lekor cheese and keropok lekor mayonnaise. These are popular items and I want to support the government’s call to help the lower-income group,” he said.
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall media and promotion department told theSun that there are 63 Ramadan bazaars involving 4,141 vendors in 11 parliamentary constituencies.
The department’s principal assistant director Shahlan Ambroz Zainuddin said there are nine Ramadan bazaars in Bandar Tun Razak, nine in Batu, eight in Bukit Bintang, one in Cheras, one in Kepong, five in Lembah Pantai, four in Segambut, five in Seputeh, four in Setiawangsa, 10 in Titiwangsa and eight in Wangsa Maju.
“The biggest Ramadan bazaar in Kuala Lumpur is located at the PKNS flats in Jalan Kuching, with 220 vendors spread across a 1.7km stretch,” he said.
Ramadan bazaars will be held throughout the fasting month and end just before Hari Raya on April 22.
