Credit : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's X
KUALA LUMPUR, November 5, 2026 – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dropped in on traders and visitors at the Deepavali Mega Bazaar in Brickfields, saying he enjoyed meeting the crowd and sharing in the festive atmosphere ahead of the festival of lights.
In a post shared on X on Wednesday night, November 4, Anwar said the bazaar in Kuala Lumpur’s Little India was lively with all kinds of preparations and sales for the Deepavali celebration. “It was a joy to meet, greet and share the festive cheer with them, while taking the opportunity to ask about their preparations and hopes ahead of this celebration,” he wrote in Malay.
Photographs attached to the post show the Prime Minister, draped in a colourful shawl, walking through the stalls and chatting with traders and shoppers among displays of festive goods and decorations.
Anwar used the post to highlight the fourth phase of Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) cash aid. He said the MADANI Government was channelling STR Phase 4, worth RM1.1 billion, to 5.4 million recipients in stages from November 4 until November 6, 2026.
“I hope this aid can ease the spending of families who will be celebrating Deepavali, including more than 630,000 recipients from the Indian community, as well as help other recipients manage their daily needs and year-end expenses,” he said.
He added that the MADANI Government would continue to ensure that aid such as STR and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) reaches those who need it, so that the people can feel its benefits. The post was tagged #MalaysiaMADANI and #YakinMADANI.
According to earlier reports by Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo, Phase 4 covers four million households earning RM5,000 a month or less and 1.4 million senior citizens without a spouse. Existing recipients are being paid in stages until November 6, while new recipients and those whose appeals were approved will receive their payments from November 16.
Brickfields is home to one of the capital’s busiest Deepavali bazaars, drawing crowds every year in the days before the festival as families shop for clothes, sweets, decorations and oil lamps. Anwar had announced the STR Phase 4 payout earlier on Wednesday, during the same Brickfields visit, as Deepavali preparations moved into full swing.
The Bazar Mega Deepavali 2026 is organised by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) at the DBKL Sports and Recreation Centre on Jalan Tun Sambanthan 1. It runs for 30 days from October 9 to November 7, 2026, with about 150 stalls open daily from 10am to midnight, according to DBKL and The Star. Stall fees were capped at RM400 this year to ease costs for traders. Speaking at the bazaar, Anwar said aid for the Indian community was not limited to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA), but also came through STR, SARA, TEKUN Nasional and Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, Harapan Madani reported. “Is it enough? Not yet, I agree, but we are adding to it gradually,” he said. He also handed over food baskets to recipients from the Indian community, and was joined by ministers Hannah Yeoh, Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, Gobind Singh Deo and Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. Deepavali falls on November 8.
This story is based on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s post on X. STR Phase 4 details are from Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo, bazaar details are from DBKL, The Star and Malay Mail, and his remarks at the bazaar are from Harapan Madani.
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