Over 901,000 people in Sarawak have received Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah, says federal minister

KOTA SAMARAHAN, Sept 16 2026:  A total of 901,555 recipients in Sarawak have received benefits through the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR), including 88,855 recipients in the Kota Samarahan Parliament.

Caption: Minister Armizan Ali says the poorest only received RM500 per year in 2012, but now in 2026, they receive RM4,600 per year

Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Armizan Mohd Ali said the amount shows the scale of cash assistance provided by the government to help the people deal with the cost of living challenges, with the neediest recipients now able to receive up to RM4,600 per year including the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA).

“In 2012, the poorest only received RM500 per year, but now in 2026, the poorest will have received RM4,600 per year including SARA assistance,” he said when officiating the Sentuhan Kasih and Jualan Rahmah MADANI Programme, here today.

Armizan said the Jualan Rahmah MADANI has been institutionalized as an official and permanent government programme since 2023 to help the people obtain daily necessities at more affordable prices.

He said the implementation of the programme has also been improved to ensure that its benefits can be expanded and accessed more consistently by the community.

"Now this programme has been institutionalised as an official government programme and starting in 2023, it is called the Rahmah MADANI Sales Programme," he said.

He said that among the improvements implemented was setting a target of at least three Rahmah MADANI Sales per month for each State Legislative Assembly (DUN).

According to him, the target allows the programme to be implemented more consistently and not only depends on the presence of leaders or the organisation of certain events.

He added that the implementation has also been expanded through the involvement of strategic partners in the retail sector including grocery stores and supermarkets, thus enabling more premises to offer the benefits of Rahmah MADANI Sales to consumers.

In addition, access to the programme has also been expanded through three implementation methods, namely on-premises, off-premises and mobile premises.

"Now we have three methods. Some are on-premises, some are off-premises and some are mobile like today, so there is more access and can enter the village," he said.