Credit : Erwin Khairul's X
KUALA LUMPUR, November 4, 2026 — The Ketua Pengarah (Director-General) of Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia (JaPen), Erwin Khairul, has highlighted the government’s SARA MADANI aid, under which Malaysians aged 18 and above who do not receive Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) will be given RM100 on two occasions, including those in the M40 middle-income group.
In a short video post shared on X on November 4, 2026, Erwin wrote in Malay that the government “is introducing SARA MADANI of RM100, twice, to citizens aged 18 and above who do not receive STR, including the M40 group,” adding that the payments would be made “before Aidilfitri and ahead of the Independence Day anniversary celebrations.”
The measure was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also Finance Minister, when he tabled Budget 2027 in the Dewan Rakyat on October 9, 2026. According to the official text of the Budget speech, the disbursements are scheduled ahead of Aidilfitri and in conjunction with Malaysia’s 70th National Day, and the initiative is expected to benefit up to 13 million Malaysians, including those in the M40 income group.
SARA MADANI sits alongside the main Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) programme, which is linked to STR. In the same speech, Anwar said the government would increase the combined allocation for STR and SARA to RM16 billion in 2027, from RM15 billion previously, and extend SARA assistance of up to RM150 a month, or RM1,800 a year, to all STR recipients, benefiting up to nine million Malaysians.
Taken together, the two SARA MADANI payments come to RM200 for each eligible person. The Budget 2027 summary published by the Ministry of Finance describes the move as strengthening STR and SARA by extending SARA MADANI to Malaysians aged 18 and above who are not STR recipients, with the money expected to be disbursed ahead of Aidilfitri and Merdeka in 2027.
Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong repeated the details in the Dewan Rakyat on October 19, 2026, Utusan Malaysia reported. Replying to a question on how the government was helping M40 households that no longer qualify for targeted assistance, he said the RM100 would be given twice to ease household spending, and that up to 13 million Malaysians, including the M40 group, were expected to benefit.
Liew said Budget 2027 also included other measures to help households cope with the cost of living, among them raising the individual tax relief threshold from RM9,000 to RM12,000 and cutting income tax rates for resident individuals by one percentage point for certain chargeable income bands.
The Budget also widened where SARA credit can be spent. Anwar said the government had agreed to allow SARA to be used to buy fresh produce and perishable goods at 216 Farmers’ Markets and TAMU run by the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) nationwide. He added that the SARA programme had 15,000 participating business premises, including 6,800 small grocery shops and cooperatives, and that the government aimed to widen the number of participating grocery shops to 10,000 by the end of this year.
The government has not yet announced exact payment dates for SARA MADANI or said whether recipients will need to apply, Citizens Journal reported. Members of the public are advised to rely only on official Ministry of Finance channels for updates and to be wary of unofficial claim forms, links or messages about the aid.
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