MACC proposes e-COSS upgrade to curb cooking oil subsidy leakages
The commission has handed six governance improvement recommendations to KPDN to tighten control over the national cooking oil subsidy.
PETALING JAYA – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has recommended that the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme (COSS) under the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) be upgraded into an end-to-end subsidy management system.
The proposal covers the entire subsidy management process, including quota applications, supply, distribution, sales records, credit notes, claims, payments, inspections and enforcement.
In a statement, MACC said the move is meant to ensure that all subsidy claims and transactions are carried out only through a legitimate, digitally verified system with integrity.
The recommendations follow a governance inspection carried out by MACC's Governance Investigation Division (BPT) on the implementation of the national cooking oil subsidy scheme.
"Among the recommendations put forward is strengthening the basis for quota determination, standard operating procedures (SOP) and a more transparent premises verification process.
"MACC also recommends that record transparency, distribution chain traceability and compliance monitoring be continuously improved, alongside creating integrated, transparent subsidy governance with integrity and based on risk analytics," it said.
In total, the division submitted six governance improvement recommendations to strengthen control and management of the country's cooking oil subsidy.
The inspection focused on policy and quota, licensing and permits, supply and distribution, sales and subsidy claims, monitoring and enforcement, as well as assessing the effectiveness of the e-COSS system.
"The e-COSS system currently still relies heavily on documents submitted by companies, manual input and officer verification.
"This situation has the potential to create inconsistency in decision-making, open room for record manipulation and invalid claims, and increase the risk of subsidy leakage," it said.
Earlier, MACC BPT Task Force branch head Fadlyzal Mohd Zain presented the recommendations at KPDN's Bunga Raya Meeting Room.
KPDN secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohd Sayuthi Bakar welcomed the recommendations as part of a joint effort to close leakage gaps, improve accountability and ensure the cooking oil subsidy is managed efficiently and reaches those genuinely eligible.
The agreement was formalised with the signing of the Governance Improvement Report, witnessed by MACC BPT director Datuk Mohd Zaki Hassan.
Also present were KPDN deputy secretary-general (Domestic Trade Development) Datuk Roziah Abudin and MACC BPT deputy director II Norazlina Abd Rahim.
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