KUCHING: Sarawak and Sabah may face steeper cost pressure than Peninsular Malaysia despite the recently announced rental and household relief measures.
Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Deputy President, Albert Tang, said the impact of the current pressures was already being felt across the country.
“East Malaysia was likely to face relatively higher costs than Peninsular Malaysia,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
For the record, the Sarawak Government has responded with a RM876.2-million package that includes higher SKAS aid, a 25 per cent electricity discount for domestic users from April to December 2026, and a 50 per cent rental discount for traders in selected premises.
The package was announced in response to cost pressures linked to the Middle East conflict, including higher transport, fertiliser, agricultural input and food costs.
Tang said the 50 per cent rental discount would be meaningful for small traders and hawkers because they served more of the B40 group.
“Small traders lacked the capacity to absorb increases in costs. As such, the initiative was meaningful,” he said.
