KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Malaysians responded with thankfulness to a series of financial aid measures announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today, aimed at easing the burden of a skyrocketing cost of living.
“Thank you, PMX” comments flooded the prime minister’s social media accounts as he announced the initiatives live.
Some users also pre-emptively quashed potential criticism from naysayers, commending the government for rolling out the initiatives as better late than never.
One announcement that won praise was the one-off RM100 cash aid for all Malaysians aged 18 and above, to be credited through their MyKad starting August 31.
Anwar said this initiative, under an expanded Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara), is expected to benefit some 22 million Malaysians.
While some might dismiss the RM100 payout, Facebook user Noriahjohar Yazid from Perak pointed out that it is helpful, especially when combined with other targeted federal and state financial assistance.
“RM100 from (Kad) Perak Sejahtera… RM200 from MyKasih… Alhamdulillah… it’s very helpful,” she commented during the livestream.
The Kad Perak Sejahtera initiative provides RM1,200 annually (RM100 per month) to eligible recipients from the B40 income bracket in Perak.
Meanwhile, Sara recipients under the MyKasih programme have been receiving RM200 monthly via their MyKad since April 2025 for essential goods.
On Instagram, user @nadhirahidris commended the government’s plan to redirect subsidies following the announcement that the RON95 petrol price will be reduced to RM1.99 per litre for Malaysians.
“Taken from eggs, returned to oil,” she commented on Anwar‘s post, referring to the recent reduction and upcoming removal of egg subsidies.
The government plans to lower the RON95 price by six cents from its current RM2.05 per litre by the end of September, exclusively for Malaysians.
However, some social media users raised concerns about whether the prices of essential goods would decrease in tandem with the petrol price drop.
“Alhamdulillah… hopefully traders will also lower the prices of goods. Before this, the excuse (to raise prices) was that oil prices went up… shouldn’t food prices drop too?” commented Instagram user @azrilfeeqry.
Another user, @norhallehan_aan, urged the government to expand the list of items that can be purchased using the RM100 handout to include wet goods such as vegetables.
Currently, the Sara cash assistance is generally limited to purchasing dry essential items like rice and cooking oil, as well as personal care products and school supplies.
