Malaysian hypermarket chain Mydin is set to suffer at least RM500,000 in losses thanks to the extra Raya holiday recently announced yesterday (Apr 18).
This figure was revealed by its founder and owner Ameer Ali Mydin during a live interview with Astro Awani.
Mydin set to have RM500,000 in losses
During the interview, Ameer said that the extra Raya holiday announced by prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was too sudden, forcing many businesses including Mydin to bear massive financial loss.
Who does not want an extra holiday? I also want a holiday. But, everybody has already made their plans for Raya, many had even taken leave for this Friday.
“But now, when the prime minister announced an additional public holiday, this would incur costs to businesses,” he said.
Ameer added that according to his estimates, Mydin is looking at a loss of at least RM500,000.
‘Money can be better spent’
Additionally, Ameer said the money set to be lost by businesses as a result of the extra Raya holiday could’ve been used for other causes, such as decreasing the price of Menu Rahmah and other goods.
“Can you imagine the half a million ringgit, I can use that RM500,000 to lower the price of Menu Rahmah to only RM4 per plate.
“This would benefit 500,000 people. I think the government shouldn’t become populist,” he said.
He also expressed displeasure over the decision to give free toll for a span of four days for all vehicles, calling it “unnecessary”.
“Those who can pay the toll, like myself, let them pay. We need to have a targeted subsidy, the model we are using now is incorrect.”
Watch a snippet of the interview here:
Pengarah Urusan Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd., Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin berkata pengumuman cuti khas oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di saat akhir telah menyebabkan banyak perniagaan menanggung kerugian. #AWANInews #AgendaAWANI pic.twitter.com/pNSqmogiQb
— 🇲🇾Astro AWANI🇲🇾 (@501Awani) April 18, 2023
What did Anwar announce yesterday?
During a special press conference, Anwar said that toll fees will not be imposed from Apr 19 to Apr 21, and Apr 24 in conjunction with Raya celebrations.
He also announced that an extra holiday will be granted either on Friday (Apr 21) or Monday (Apr 24), depending which day does the first day of Syawal fall upon.
Read about it here:
