Govt Tests Qr Code System To Stop Subsidised Cooking Oil Buys By Foreigners

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 The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry is testing a system in which those who wish to buy subsidised cooking oil must first verify their citizenship through a QR code.
"The ministry is developing a system to monitor (the supply chain) up to the consumer.
"It is still in the pilot testing stage, in which consumers must first scan a QR code, and once verified as a Malaysian citizen, only then can they buy subsidised cooking oil," deputy minister Fuziah Salleh told the Dewan Negara during her winding-up speech on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP).
She said this was over concerns that foreigners were disrupting the supply of subsidised cooking oil, which is meant only for locals.
"As for RON95 petrol (subsidies)... if we use the approach of using identity cards (MyKads) at petrol pumps, then God willing, only Malaysian citizens will be able to access (the subsidised price)," she added.
She said each essential item has its unique issues and therefore requires different measures.
She gave the example of sugar, the supply of which is adequate in local markets, unlike subsidised cooking oil.
Difficult to obtain
According to a Malaysiakini survey in June, packets of subsidised cooking oil are difficult to obtain, with some retailers even selling them above the government-controlled price of RM2.50 per packet.
The survey, beginning with supermarkets around Selangor and later in Kelantan, generally found that this subsidised cooking oil is not easily accessible to consumers.
Checks at convenience stores showed that only one or two boxes are delivered each week.
This was outside of the large supermarkets, where even there, only one or two packets are limited for each buyer at a time.
However, they were more easily found across the border, around Sungai Golok, Narathiwat.
The daily essential is believed to be smuggled into Thailand and is easily found at shops throughout the border town.
There is no limit on purchases, and it is sold at more than double the original price.
This is despite Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail's announcement in May last year that 134 illegal bases on the country’s border had been shut down, including high-risk smuggling routes in border areas, particularly along Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok. - Mkini

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