Chow welcomes RM100 aid but hopes for more holistic solutions
PETALING JAYA : Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow has welcomed the government's RM100 one-off cash aid for Malaysian adults, but expressed hope that more holistic measures would be introduced to mitigate the rising cost of living.
Chow said the RM100 cash aid under Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) was still appreciated, acknowledging that it would cost Putrajaya billions of ringgit.
'However, I believe the people are looking forward to more comprehensive forms of assistance, such as initiatives that ease the cost of doing business, or infrastructure projects that create jobs and spur growth,' he said, according to the Penang government's news organ, Buletin Mutiara.
He acknowledged that Putrajaya was facing financial constraints currently.
This morning, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the one-off payment would be channelled through the MyKad and was in conjunction with the upcoming National Day celebration.
He said the cash could be used between Aug 31 and Dec 31 to purchase basic necessities from more than 4,100 outlets, including hypermarkets such as Mydin, Lotus, Econsave, and 99 Speedmart.
Chow acknowledged that Malaysia was facing domestic and foreign economic pressures, and said Anwar should be given the room and time to navigate these issues, including the US tariffs.
'Anwar should be given a free hand to mediate and mitigate the current situation. He deserves more time to address these concerns in a meaningful way,' said the DAP leader.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
PAS leaders may have broken laws with cow, bull analogy, says minister
Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the PAS leaders may have breached several provisions in the Penal Code with their remarks. PETALING JAYA : Law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said PAS leaders may have broken several laws by comparing women leaders to animals and citing the Quran in defending the analogy. In a post on X, Azalina said the PAS leaders may have breached several provisions, namely Sections 509, 504 and 298A of the Penal Code. The three sections deal with insulting the modesty of a person, intentional insult to provoke a breach of the peace, and actions that cause disharmony, respectively. She did not name the leaders, but uploaded two articles which identified Maran PAS Youth information chief Salman Al Farisi and party deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. 'To whom it may concern: if you are still comparing women leaders to animals in 2025, congrats! 'Do better, or lawyer up,' she said, in an apparent sarcastic jab at Salman and Tuan Ibrahim, who had defended the youth leader. Azalina also said those who incorporated religion into their argument could be committing an offence under Section 507B of the Penal Code that deals with insulting words. On Monday, Malaysiakini reported Salman as comparing men to bulls, and women to cows when emphasising the importance of men in leadership roles, based on his experience in livestock farming. Salman had claimed that a cow would usually lead the herd, while bulls serve to protect the herd. He said society should, therefore, avoid elevating women to leadership positions, and that men should assume leadership roles in accordance with Quranic teachings. Earlier today, Tuan Ibrahim defended Salman, saying such analogies were used in literary works and not meant to degrade women. 'In Islamic literature in the past, there are works such as 'Kalilah wa Dimnah', which are filled with analogies and stories about animals, used to convey teachings and moral values,' he was quoted as saying. He said he saw nothing sexist about Salman's remark.
Barnama
6 hours ago
- Barnama
ACWA Power's Commitment Boosts Malaysia As Key Regional Energy Player
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 6 (Bernama) -- ACWA Power's commitment to choose Malaysia to house its main hub in Southeast Asia has strengthened the country's position as a key player in regional sustainable energy and supports efforts toward a low-carbon economy, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Welcoming the world's largest water desalination company's decision to invest in clean energy infrastructure nationwide, Anwar said this is another positive development from the close cooperation between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, especially following his meeting with the ACWA Power founder during the recent ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. On May 27, ACWA Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) to facilitate the implementation of strategic investment projects in clean energy infrastructure across Malaysia.
Free Malaysia Today
7 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Pharmaniaga completes regularisation plan, to exit PN17 early 2026
Pharmaniaga Bhd fell into PN17 status in February 2023, dragged by its RM552.3 million provision for 'slow-moving inventories' of Covid-19 vaccines. KUALA LUMPUR : Pharmaniaga Bhd has completed its Practice Note 17 (PN17) regularisation plan following the completion of its capital reduction exercise through the cancellation of RM520 million in issued share capital. The pharmaceutical company said this step firmly sets the group on course to exit the PN17 status latest by the first quarter of 2026. 'The capital reduction exercise, which involved the cancellation of RM520 million in issued share capital, was completed after confirmation was received today from the registrar of companies that all statutory requirements have been fulfilled. 'Following the completion of this exercise, the issued share capital of the group is RM249.62 million, comprising 6.55 billion shares,' it said in a statement. Pharmaniaga fell into PN17 status in February 2023, dragged by its RM552.3 million provision for 'slow-moving inventories' of Covid-19 vaccines. At the close of trading today, the counter finished unchanged at 18.5 sen, with 28.69 million shares changing hands.
