KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 7): The government will not compromise with any party that tries to undermine the benefits that the public are supposed to enjoy through the implementation of the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) appreciation aid.

Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the ministry had taken note of several social media posts claiming that a small group of traders had increased the prices of goods.

"If this has happened, investigations and action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 can be implemented.

"The government will investigate the complaints. At the same time, the government appreciates the initiatives by supermarkets and grocery shops that offer special prices for the aid recipients,” he said in a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Sunday.

He also encouraged the public to lodge official complaints with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to enable investigations to be conducted swiftly.

Complaints can be made through several KPDN channels, such as the KPDN e-Aduan portal at https://eaduan.kpdn.gov.my/, via WhatsApp at (019) 848 8000 or the call centre at 1800 886 800.

Meanwhile, the MOF also said that the eighth day of the Sara appreciation aid proceeded smoothly, with total sales of RM102.5 million involving 1.7 million recipients as of 9.30pm.

"The transaction rate has remained stable at 99.9% for two consecutive days. Efforts to improve and expand the system’s processing capacity over the past seven days have contributed to the system stability achieved today (Sunday),” it said.

Since its implementation on Aug 31, the initiative has benefited more than 11.8 million people who purchased essential items using Sara appreciation aid and Sara monthly credits, with total spending reaching RM745.7 million nationwide.

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