The first day of the RM100 SARA aid rollout on Aug 31 was supposed to ease living costs for millions of Malaysians.
Instead, it turned chaotic when the system went down at major supermarkets, leaving long queues, failed transactions and rows of abandoned shopping trolleys.
“Don’t lose your civic sense”
Videos circulating on TikTok and Threads showed trolleys filled with rice, cooking oil, and other essentials left stranded at checkout counters after the system crash.
This angered many netizens, who felt it was inconsiderate to walk away without putting items back.
Even if you don’t have money, at least have civic sense. Put the things back. Pity the workers, they don’t know when the system will go down,” one viral comment with more than 7,000 likes said.
Another netizen added:
The government gave four months to use the aid. Why rush on the first day and make life harder for supermarket staff?”
Some sympathised with shoppers
Not everyone was critical. Some defended those who abandoned their carts, saying many families urgently needed groceries.
Maybe their food at home already ran out. That’s why they rushed to use the RM100 today,” one user commented.
Others pointed out that with the system down and queues stretching long, shoppers might not have had the time or energy to restock everything themselves.
Workers left to clean up the mess
While debates raged online, supermarket staff were the ones caught in the middle. They had to spend hours returning piles of abandoned goods back onto shelves.
In the end, it’s the workers who suffer the most,” a commenter noted.
What actually happened
The government’s SARA programme credited RM100 into the MyKad of 22 million Malaysians starting Aug 31.
By noon, many had already used the aid, but the surge in transactions overwhelmed the system.
Some were forced to pay cash, while others simply left their trolleys behind. The Finance Ministry and MyKasih have since apologised, promising a smoother experience from Sept 1 onwards.
