He was responding to Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka), who had previously said in Parliament that Malaysians who “receive RM100 may end up spending more than RM100, and will come to shop at Mydin”.

Khoo quipped that as a result of this, the company had done so well that Ameer had been making TikTok videos, “dancing here and there”.

However, Ameer said Khoo’s remarks painted an unduly negative picture of the company.

“I myself often say that the government needs to help small traders. If you don’t give aid to Mydin, giving aid to small traders is also fine,” he said in a video posted on X.

Ameer said the government’s main objective with the SARA programme was likely to encourage as many retailers as possible to join the system.

He also acknowledged the possibility that large hypermarkets could eventually be excluded from the programme.

“Who knows, one day the government may say ‘sorry, big hypermarkets like Mydin making billions don’t need (to participate) anymore’,” he said.

He nevertheless thanked the government for the SARA aid programme, saying it had helped both the public and traders.

There are 10,000 sundry shops and minimarkets where SARA recipients can buy essential household goods.