The government is set to launch a mobile app to track purchases of subsidized cooking oil, in the hope of plugging the loophole and curbing the smuggling of the raw material involved.
But is this really the solution?
Domestic Trade Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the app is part of the eCOSS system, which will record buyer data every time a purchase is made, to ensure that the oil reaches the right target – not smugglers or greedy traders.
He voiced the government’s concern that it currently does not have a clear record of where subsidized cooking oil is channeled after it reaches retailers.
The app is intended to prevent foreigners from buying it and curb abuse.
However, there are Members of Parliament who believe that the entire subsidy system needs to be overhauled, even suggesting cash assistance instead of oil subsidies.
For now, the government is sticking to its plan to implement the eCOSS app as the main step to control the 60,000 metric tonnes of subsidized oil that are on the market every month.
Previously the eCOSS system, now the eCOSS application – is this really a solution or just a 'recycle' of the system?
