The recent statement by Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Fuziah Salleh, has not merely raised eyebrows; it has provoked rightful outrage and utter disbelief. According to a report by Astro Awani, the Deputy Minister, in defending the government’s Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) aid, suggested that for some elderly couples living alone, RM100 “might be sufficient for their expenses throughout the month.”
This statement is not just inaccurate; it is an insult to the millions of Malaysians struggling with the escalating cost of living. It demonstrates a level of ministerial disconnect so profound that it calls into question her fitness to hold a portfolio specifically dedicated to understanding and alleviating the people’s cost of living burdens.
Claim that elderly couples can survive on RM100 reveals a government utterly divorced from the reality of rising costs
A Mathematical Impossibility in 2025 Malaysia
Let us dismantle this fantasy with basic arithmetic. The claim is that RM100 can last two people for 30 days. This breaks down to a daily budget of RM3.33 for two adults, or RM1.67 per person per day.
What does RM1.67 buy in Malaysia today?
- A single egg costs approximately RM0.50. A simple breakfast of two eggs would already consume 60% of one person’s daily budget.
- A kilogram of the most basic local rice costs around RM3.50—more than an entire day’s budget for the couple.
- A packet of mee kuning might cost RM2.00. A whole chicken is over RM10.
- This budget does not even account for cooking oil, salt, flour, vegetables, or protein beyond the most minimal. It assumes the couple never drinks tea, coffee, or milk. It assumes they never eat fruit.
This calculation is for food alone. It grotesquely ignores every other essential cost of human existence:
- Utilities: How do they pay for electricity and water bills, even at the subsidised rate?
- Healthcare: How do they cover the cost of medications, check-ups, or even transportation to a clinic?
- Transportation: How do they afford to go anywhere, even to a pasar tani for cheaper goods?
- Communications: How do they maintain a phone line for emergencies?
- Incidentals: What happens if a light bulb blows, or they need soap, or a pot breaks?
The notion that RM100 is sufficient is not merely optimistic; it is a mathematical and humanitarian impossibility.
An Insult to the Struggles of the Rakyat
The Deputy Minister’s defence, that this figure is “based on data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM),” is perhaps the most alarming part of her statement. It suggests one of two terrifying possibilities:
- The government’s official data is so critically flawed that it bears no resemblance to the lived reality of its citizens, rendering all policy based on it useless.
- The Deputy Minister is fundamentally misinterpreting or misusing this data to defend an inadequate aid policy, thereby failing in her duty to accurately represent the people’s plight.
Either scenario is unacceptable. The role of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living is to bridge the gap between data and reality, to fight for the people based on their actual circumstances, not to hide behind outdated or misapplied statistics to justify insufficiency.
A Call for Accountability and Resignation
Politicians make mistakes. They occasionally misspeak. However, this is not a simple gaffe. This is a foundational error in judgment that strikes at the very heart of her ministerial portfolio. By validating the absurd idea that RM100 is adequate, Fuziah Salleh has:
- Trivialised the genuine suffering of low-income elderly Malaysians.
- Undermined public confidence in the government’s understanding of the cost of living crisis.
- Failed in her primary duty to be an advocate for the people within the government.
A minister who is this detached from the financial anguish of the rakyat cannot effectively lead policies designed to alleviate it. The credibility of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living has been severely damaged.
Therefore, it is not enough for the Deputy Minister to merely clarify or apologise. The only appropriate response to such a profound demonstration of incompetence is to tender her resignation. If she will not, the Prime Minister must seriously consider reassigning her to a portfolio where such a disconnect cannot cause further harm to those she is meant to serve.
The message from the people is clear: We will not be gaslit into believing that poverty is a comfortable existence. We deserve leaders who live in the same reality we do.
