Global Courant 2023-04-18 15:45:54
KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday announced several measures to ease the financial burden of Malaysians ahead of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities this weekend.
These include the lifting of all tolls on the country’s highways for four days from April 19-21 and on April 24 as millions of people return to their hometowns, and an extra holiday to extend the festivities. The move affects 33 toll roads.
The largest highway manager Plus Malaysia expects that about two million vehicles will use its network every day during Hari Raya, 20 percent more than on normal days.
Malaysia will also get a four-day holiday from Friday to Monday regardless of whether Hari Raya falls on Friday or Saturday, Mr Anwar said. Malaysian officials will determine the start of the annual Muslim festival on Thursday.
Singapore will mark Hari Raya on Saturday.
To bring further joy to motorists, Prime Minister Anwar also announced a special discount for traffic fines issued in 2022 and earlier, with each fine reduced to RM50 (S$15).
Special discounts on raw ingredients such as chicken and onions will be given to merchants offering cheap meals to lower-income consumers in a program called Menu Rahmah, he added.
The government is working with selected supermarkets to offer special prices to their operators.
“We are aware of the costs that the operators have to bear for raw materials and foodstuffs. We hope this initiative will bring relief to the operators and ensure the continuity and sustainability of the Menu Rahmah program,” he said.
The Menu Rahmah initiative was launched in January this year, with more than 15,000 eateries across the country offering meals for as little as RM5 as a way to combat inflationary pressures.
In addition to announcing goodies for Hari Raya, the prime minister also spoke about other issues, including reducing cement costs for affordable housing developers and additional allocation for federal road maintenance.
The government will spend another RM250 million for road repairs which would be outsourced to small Bumiputera contractors. This is in addition to the RM 750 million already budgeted for road repair and maintenance under Budget 2023, bringing the total to RM 1 billion.
“The federal government understands the importance and need for regular maintenance work on federal roads so that they are safe and comfortable for public use,” he said.
“This refers specifically to potholes that contribute to traffic accidents.”
