Mydin Says Malaysians Are Poorer Despite Strong Economic Growth

In his interview with radio station BFM yesterday, 5 February, Ameer pointed out that this could be seen in declining hypermarket sales across the country throughout 2017.

He added, "That makes you wonder, how can a country grow but hypermarkets growth, which is the real basic consumption in the country, is negative."

In the first quarter of 2017, Malaysia's GDP grew by 5.6% but retail sales dropped by 1.2% while hypermarket sales went down by 4.8%.

He said, "I am not saying there's no growth, of course, the numbers are there. But in a normal country, growth will reflect on domestic consumption (basic goods)."

In the third quarter, the retail sector shrunk by 1.1% while hypermarket growth declined by 5%. Even though the fourth quarter numbers are not out yet, Ameer is confident that the trend will continue.

Ameer also shared some example of food prices which have shot up tremendously. Cabbage from Cameron Highlands has gone up by 29%, ikan kembung hitam (black mackerel) 19%, MAGGI Chilli Sauce 38.8%, Ayam Brand Sardines 30.6%.

He added, "And you can say six percent may be because of the goods and services tax."

If the trend continues, Ameer thinks prices of goods might eventually decrease.

According to Malaysiakini, Tun Faisal said that spendings in hypermarkets is not an accurate indicator to conclude that Malaysians have no money.

Tun Faisal highlighted growth in other industries such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, services, utilities and F&B, claiming GDP growth was not determined by hypermarkets alone.

He stressed that Ameer should not be questioning consumers' ability to spend, but rather look into the bad business decisions which led Mydin to suffer losses.

He said, “I have just fulfilled my umrah duties. However, the interesting part is whenever I go to the mosque, there will definitely be Malaysians."

“I will surely bump into Malaysians or they will take pictures or videos from far away."