KUALA LUMPUR, March 21 — Amanah deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub describes his appointment as domestic trade and cost of living minister as the defining moment of his political career.

He remembers his peers telling him from the first day he clocked into office that the ministry "might be a Waterloo” because so many people’s lives and livelihood depend on the direction he takes it.

"If you don’t perform, this will be your last ministry,” he told Malay Mail in a recent interview at the Companies Commission of Malaysia headquarters here.

The Pulai MP recalled his first ministerial post as agriculture and agro-based industry minister back in 2018 when Pakatan Harapan controlled the federal government, and observed how his PKR ally Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail dealt with public complaints and grievances as the then domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, saying it was then that he realised the enormity of the portfolio.

Salahuddin said he feels the weight of the task on his shoulders has become heavier, especially due to the sharp inflation spike following the Covid-19 pandemic.

As a short term plan to address the plight of low-income earners struggling with high living costs, Salahuddin said that he introduced the government’s "Payung Rahmah” initiative.

He said that the concept of "Payung Rahmah” was borne from "Bakul Rahmah”, the basket of food aid sent to residents stuck at home to help them weather the lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid-19.

"I received complaints from people who were heavily impacted by the lockdown. I called my friends to raise funds and bought basic necessities and put it in a basket.

"That time it was just baskets filled with basic necessities. The programme did not have a name yet. And my friend asked me ‘what do we want to name this programme?’ I spontaneously came up with ‘Bakul Rahmah’ which was an homage to the Islamic phrase rahmatan lil-alamin,” he said.

The Arabic phrase which translates to "mercy for all creatures” in English is an Islamic concept based on the principles and core of Islamic law in a multiracial and multireligion country.

Continuing the "Rahmah” initiative to his current ministry, Salahuddin said he decided to call a meeting with the local restaurant associations to propose that they offer meals at RM5 or cheaper that more people could afford.

"This meal must have these three basic components which is rice, chicken or fish, and vegetables, and maybe drinks on the side,” he told Malay Mail of the origins of the programme that became known as "Menu Rahmah”.

As of March 12, more than 1,500 eateries, including fast food giants like Domino’s Pizza, McDonalds, A&W and Burger King are part of the ministry’s efforts to make meals more affordable to low-income earners and their families.

In a spin-off of the "Rahmah” series is "Jualan Rahmah, another programme by Salahuddin’s ministry, which offers basic essential goods at a discounted price.

Current participants of this initiative include Mydin, Speedmart 99, KK Mart and Aeon Big.

Recalibrating poverty population data

In order to obtain more granular data, Salahuddin proposed that the government set up a one-stop centre to collect information about the population who are impoverished.

He said that centralising the data on the number of poor people in Malaysia would benefit the government, especially when formulating policies related to low-income earners.

"We must have one stop agency for data, because each agency has its own database and they are not communicating with each other. That is a problem,” he said.

He also said that there is a need to redefine the three income groups.

Currently the bottom wage earners who are estimated to make up 40 per cent of the population are categorised as B40; the middle-income earners also estimated at 40 per cent as M40; and the highest income earners estimated to number 20 per cent are categorised as T20.

"For example, the ones who earn RM5,000 lives in Klang Valley, and the ones who earn RM5,000 but lives in a rural areas, all of them are considered as M40. You see that is the challenge of data these days,” Salahuddin said.

The name change of Salahuddin’s ministry from domestic trade and consumer affairs to domestic trade and cost of living clearly reflects the priority in the government led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in reducing the financial burden of Malaysians.

Since starting work on December 5 last year, Salahuddin have pledged his commitment to meet the expectations of Malaysians who want a solution to the rise in the price of goods and shortage of food supplies in the market in line with the prime minister’s vision.

Salahuddin said his ministry would forge strategic cooperation with other ministries, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which is responsible for food production to optimise production and minimise production costs.