To cope with inflation, the Malaysian government allows restaurant owners to offer a menu for around five Malaysian ringgits, the equivalent of one euro. Except that the operation, intended for low incomes, attracts more widely in Malaysian society.
In Malaysia, a government initiative is trying to help low-income households in the face of inflation. The operation “Rahma Menus” is carried by restaurants, which therefore offer the population a meal at the price of 5 Malaysian ringgits, the equivalent of around one euro. Inflation, negative before the pandemic, has indeed increased with the health crisis, but also with the war in Ukraine, reaching more than 4% a few months after the Russian invasion.
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This operation was set up on the basis of a government idea, but it is above all based on the volunteering of participating restaurants. For the moment, no public subsidy is planned from the State. It is therefore the institutions that decide whether or not to participate in the project, organizing themselves as they wish.
15,000 attendees
However, these establishments take advantage of the visit of ministers to their premises to promote their “rahmah menus” and their cooking at the same time. Since the launch of the project on January 31, an estimated 15,000 participants have agreed to play the game.
The Mydin store, too, is participating in the project and hopes to benefit from this operation, despite the uncertainty about the duration of these low-cost menus. Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, the general manager of the store, has pledged to leave this menu in place for at least three months, “and as long as the input costs remain the same, we will maintain this pricehe assures. Also, don’t forget that it attracts new customers.” Before adding: “All of us in this scenario think that’s the best thing to do, to have bigger volumes, lower prices in Mydin. And at the end of the day you make more money in total.”
Operation well received by society
The operation has so far been well received by most Malaysians. If initially the “rahmah menus” have been set up for low incomes who represent 40% of the population, everyone can benefit from them.
Some Malaysians, for a month now, have got into the habit of eating this type of menu once a day. “We have to eat every day, it’s a necessity” explains a Malaysian. “When the initiative for these rahmah menus started, I was like, ‘Wow, actually, the prices can actually be really low for a meal’. It’s quite impressive, I was able to put a lot aside, I started saving, it’s a big saving of money!”, he enthuses. Last January, the inflation rate in Malaysia was estimated at 3.7%.