BINTULU – A government initiative designed to alleviate the cost of living for residents was launched at the Kampung Assyakirin Phase 1 Public Hall last Saturday.
The Rahmah and Sejati Madani Community Sales Programme aims to provide direct assistance to communities.
Jepak State Assemblyman, Iskandar Turkee, officiated the event, stating that the programme demonstrates the government’s effort to understand and address grassroots needs.
He emphasised that his role was not merely ceremonial, but to actively engage with the public.
“We are not here just to officiate, but to go down and listen to the pulse of the people,” Iskandar said. The Rahmah Sales scheme, part of the national Payung Rahmah initiative, provides essential goods at significantly reduced prices.
Items such as rice, cooking oil, poultry, and eggs are sold for 10 to 30 percent less than standard market rates.
This initiative is presented as immediate, practical help that reaches households without bureaucratic delays.
A mobile sales component using specially equipped lorries ensures that even remote villages within the Bintulu district can access these subsidised goods.
Iskandar described the programme as proof of a government that acts with genuine concern. The accompanying Sejati Madani programme also fosters local enterprise by offering community groups, including Village Development and Security Committees (JKKK), funding assistance of up to RM100,000 to promote their products.
The success of such programmes is attributed to close cooperation between state, federal, and local community bodies.