The average Sabahan is focused on daily expenses for essential goods before any indulgence to celebrate the coming Hari Raya Aidilfitri due to the higher costs compared to last year and the current economic situation.
A Bernama survey found that traders in the state are also trying their best to provide reasonable prices of goods to the public, but with a few days left until Aidilfitri, the demand for goods to celebrate the festival, especially cakes and biscuits, is still more sluggish than upbeat.
Acknowledging the cautious trend of ‘sens and sensibility’, kuih raya trader Salmah Shakil, 49, who has been in business since 2006, said the relatively expensive price of ‘kuih’ is one of the reasons for the lack of booming sales this year, in addition to the omnipresent competition from online traders.
“Last year, thank God, but this year it has been really slow (sales). The prices are really expensive, but if someone asks for less, we will give a discount and a reasonable price to the buyer,” she told Bernama at the Wisma Majlis Ugama Islam Sabah (Muis) bazaar, here, today.
As for Nurul Syazwani Abdul Ghani, 34, she admitted that the selling price of her Raya cakes has been slightly upticked due to the rise in cost of goods, but the mother of three is grateful that there are still regular customers placing special orders for Raya cakes from Johor Bharu.
“The prices of cakes have definitely gone up a little this year because now (prices of ingredients) have gone up, but there are still buyers,” said Nurul, who has been in business for 15 years.
Single mother Nuridah Sallih, 53, who has seven children, said this year’s Hari Raya will be celebrated with restraint as would ensuring that last year’s purchases and acquisitions do not go to waste.
“In the current situation, our finances, our budget is just enough, especially for me as I’m just a single mother, so I just prepare with what I have,” said Nuridah, who is also in the business of selling perfume.
The same philosophy of moderation was also shared by Khalid Kalali, 48, who said this year’s Hari Raya preparations meant buying Raya clothes and cakes according to the family’s means.
“It’s hard coming to grips with prices, some (goods) are cheap, some are expensive but because this year the economy is not so good, we just go with what we can afford,” he said while out shopping with his wife and children.
Civil servant Amran Abdullah, 51, also kept to modest preparations for Aidilfitri this year because in the current economic situation, daily expenses take precedence over Hari Raya extravagance.
“The prices of goods are indeed quite high, including clothing, daily necessities are also high, the prices are indeed at a high level compared to a few years ago,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) director Georgie Abas said as many as 21 daily necessities were listed as price-controlled items in the Festive Season Maximum Price Scheme (SHMMP) for Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2023.
He said his department always appointed officers to monitor shopping locations which are popular and check traders’ adherence to the scheme, starting from April 15 to April 30.
“A total of 244 premises have been inspected so far and no cases have been raised. Last year 4,667 inspections were carried out throughout Sabah for five SHMMPs, namely Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Kaamatan Festival, Deepavali and Christmas, where 19 cases were identified,” he said.
He said the KPDN welcomes any complaints about the price of goods including Hari Raya preparations from the public, who can submit complaints to KPDN via WhatsApp at 019-279 4317 or 019-848 8000; e-aduan.kpdn.gov.my complaint portal; and the complaint line at 1-800-886-800.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency