RM500 the ideal amount for a man’s festive spending – BESS President

KUALA LUMPUR: A man should spend up to RM500 for Eid preparations. Ahmad Ashraff Fahmy Mohd Zulhery Fahmy, President of the Selangor Business and Economics Students’ Association (BESSS), said this is the ideal cost for someone based on current market offerings.

“The ideal rate for a man to spend for Eid is around RM200 to RM350 for clothes alone. “If you want to add a new songkok or samping (traditional Malay cloth), the cost could go up to RM500,” he said during a Youth Dialogue program on Friday.

He added that the price offers for festive attire currently available in the market are actually not pocket-friendly for youths and students. According to Ahmad Ashraff Fahmy, popular brands set prices that are too high to be considered affordable. “At the same time, the prices offered by various brands for festive attire are actually not affordable for students.

“However, when it comes to purchasing preferences, it entirely depends on the initiative of the students themselves to work part-time to increase income or save from the beginning,” he said. Malaysians are currently busy shopping in preparation for the upcoming Eid celebrations next week. The date to sight the new moon of Shawwal for this year is set for the evening of Tuesday, April 9, 2024, corresponding to the 29th of Ramadan 1445 Hijrah, and the declaration of the date of Eid al-Fitr will be announced on that evening.

The Office of the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Malaysia, in a statement, announced that the Conference of Rulers has agreed that determining the date of Eid al-Fitr is based on rukyah (moon sighting) and hisab (calculation).

-Irfan Faruqi