KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — Sunek Tosono has made a career of sorts at the annual Ramadan bazaar in Bangsar, enticing hungry eyes and rumbling tummies with her colourful and delectable spread of Malay dishes every time the Muslim fasting month comes around.

In the 18 years that she has operated out of the bazaar in one of Kuala Lumpur’s upscale suburbs, the 66-year-old claims to have made nothing less than a decent profit in the month preceding the Hari Raya celebrations.

But this year has not been easy for Sunek, who says that she is struggling to break even due to the hike in price of her ingredients — courtesy of the recently implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“I do not charge GST on my customers. I maintain my pricing, though much of our raw materials are GST inclusive… so we lose out,” she told Malay Mail Online when met at her stall last week.

Sunek said from the RM2,000 on average she spends a week on fresh produce and items needed for her dishes, she takes home less than RM1,000 in profits.

But she worries that if she raises her prices, she will lose out on her regular customers who have remained loyal over the years.

“We feel the pinch a lot,” she said.

Despite strong opposition, Putrajaya went ahead with its plan to implement GST on April 1, amid a sharp drop in national revenue due to the global oil price slump since September last year.

Sluggish exports dragged Malaysia’s growth down to 5.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year, a dip from 5.7 per cent registered in 2014’s last quarter according to the country’s central bank.

The ringgit has since been the worst performing currency in Asia, with economists attributing it to the country’s overdependence on oil exports.

The ringgit has since been the worst performing currency in Asia, with economists attributing it to the country’s overdependence on oil exports.

Transactions involving big ticket items such as housing also reportedly slowed down in the first quarter ahead of GST’s April 1 implementation, with analysts expecting an overall downwards trend to continue due to increased inflationary pressure caused by the consumption tax.

The southeast Asian nation has, however, managed to stave off a downgrade in its sovereign rating after making the unpopular move to cut back on subsidies for fuel and certain goods — apart from implementing GST — which experts expect will cause short-term inflationary pressure.

Syazana Aqhila Suardi, 23, who offers pre-packed meals of rice with grilled meats and a selection of vegetables, lamented that costs have been far higher than she anticipated despite having run her stall at the Subang Jaya Ramadan bazaar over the past five years.

Like Sunek, she says she can barely make a profit from the RM700 she spends on average every week to buy ingredients for her dishes, now that everything is more expensive.

“Prior to GST, I can make between RM400 and RM500 in revenue but this year, with the oil price hike and GST, I am really not making much,” she said.

Customers, likewise, have complained that their money is not stretching as far as it used to at the bazaars, where Muslims typically buy food to break their fast every evening.

Wan Mohamad Zakir Wan Othman, 31, who is back on break from his job as a quantity surveyor in Qatar, said he is getting less food for the same amount of money that he spent in previous years.

He noted that even if some stalls maintained their prices, the portions have noticeably shrunk in size.

“It has definitely reduced our purchasing power,” Wan Muhammad said of the effects of GST.

For those who stick to a strict budget when buying food at the bazaar, like accounts manager Firdauz Zahaliman, the shrinking value of the ringgit in his wallet is even more obvious.

For those who stick to a strict budget when buying food at the bazaar, like accounts manager Firdauz Zahaliman, the shrinking value of the ringgit in his wallet is even more obvious.

“I fix a certain amount between RM 15 and RM 20 to spend for Ramadhan bazaars, but I get less items now compared to last year,” the 31-year-old said.

And those who are willing to fork out a little more than they budgeted for have had to give up some of their favourite dishes due to inflation.

Fariz NM Ishak, a general manager for a tourism agency, admitted that he has had to eschew nasi briyani after his regular stall more than doubled the price to RM15 a pack, a far cry from the RM8 he paid for just last year.

“I don’t expect to pay RM15 unless I am in a shop setting… it’s like almost double the price,” said Fariz, 29.