KUALA LUMPUR, February 11 – Mydin’s Managing Director, Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin revealed that the start of the menu with prices below RM5 was from the Minister of Economy, Rafizi Ramli who reprimanded the attitude of some restaurant and eatery traders who still refused to lower the prices of food and drinks. He admitted that this was difficult for the restaurant to do as the prices of raw materials such as chicken, eggs and rice did not show a decrease, thus affecting the price of food.
He explained that not only did the price of the requirement increase, but based on the new employment act, individuals who received a wage of less than RM4,000 were allowed to work overtime, making the operating costs even higher. “So it is impossible for restaurants to lower the price of food when the cost is actually increasing,” he said in an Exclusive Interview Program titled ‘Kenapa Menu Rahmah’ on Sinar Harian’s Twitter Space on Wednesday.
However, Ameer Ali praised the attitude of the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub by describing him as a good listener to the grievances of the people. “In an effort to help the people, he asked if there were any restaurants that wanted to work together to produce one dish, the Rahmah Menu, which costs RM5. “Mydin has no problem making the menu and we will sell the Rahmah Menu for only RM4.90, but profit is not profit, loss is not loss, as long as we can help the people,” he said.
He explained that a memorandum of understanding agreement will be signed with several restaurant and catering associations such as the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Operators Association and the Malaysian Tomyam Restaurant Operators Association to make the menu a success. At the same time, Menu Rahmah also gained attention in the fast food industry who wanted to participate in the initiative introduced by the government.
Commenting on the matter, Ameer Ali welcomes the party’s initiative and believes that everyone including the fast food industry should also get involved in the program. “We need to know that most B40s cannot afford to enjoy fast food. So much so that some of them are waiting for the right time to buy fried chicken, burgers for children. “Let the people choose what they want and I don’t deny that they need to listen to the doctor’s advice to eat healthy food,” he explained.
However, activist doctor, Dr Malar Santhi Santherasegapan said, he does not agree if the fast food industry becomes part of the Menu Rahmah program. “As we know, the B40 group is a group that eats less nutritious food. The issue that I want to highlight is a financial issue, when not eating enough and eating unhealthy food, it affects health and increases the cost of getting medicines. “For me, Menu Rahmah has to come with health awareness. If the fast food industry wants to get involved in this program, they need to focus on calories, nutrients and fresh food,” he said.
