Every complaint received would be studied with necessary action taken.
In Malaysia, the quiet work of keeping a kitchen affordable has become a test of digital governance. The Domestic Trade Ministry's removal of 179 companies from its eCOSS cooking oil subsidy scheme reflects a broader human tension: how a society ensures that public resources flow to those they were meant to serve, and not elsewhere. Through biometric verification, cross-referenced databases, and real-time tracking, the government is attempting to close the distance between policy intention and lived reality — one packet of cooking oil at a time.
- A subsidized cooking oil program serving over five million Malaysians is under strain, with violations ranging from illegal sales to foreigners to falsified purchase records threatening the integrity of the entire scheme.
- Social media reports of foreigners using borrowed Malaysian identities to access subsidized oil have amplified public anxiety and drawn sharp scrutiny to the system's vulnerabilities.
- The government responded by deactivating 179 companies, prosecuting six cases, and imposing RM7,000 in fines — signaling that digital enforcement is moving from passive monitoring to active consequence.
- The eCOSS app's security architecture — eKYC selfie-matching, MyDigital ID integration, and national registry cross-checks — is being positioned as the primary line of defense against identity fraud and subsidy leakage.
- Complaint volumes have shifted with the system's growth: a drop after the app launched suggests early gains, but rising reports in 2026 track closely with a rapidly expanding user base, leaving the trajectory of reform still unresolved.
Malaysia's government has moved to tighten its grip on one of its most visible social programs. The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry announced the removal of 179 companies from eCOSS — the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme System — for a range of violations: storing more oil than permitted, selling to ineligible buyers including foreigners, operating on expired licenses, and keeping purchase records that didn't reconcile with actual sales.
Launched as a pilot in May 2025, eCOSS has grown quickly into a significant piece of digital infrastructure, enrolling more than five million Malaysians and moving 91 million one-kilogram packets of subsidized oil through the supply chain by mid-2026. Deputy Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh described the enforcement action as proof the system is functioning — catching violations before they hollow out the subsidy's purpose.
The numbers tell a story of a program finding its footing. Complaints about cooking oil subsidies numbered over 13,000 in 2024, before the app existed. That figure fell to around 5,300 after eCOSS launched, though 2026 has seen complaints climb again to over 9,000 — a rise the ministry links to the expanding user base rather than worsening conditions.
A particular flashpoint has been reports of foreigners using borrowed or fraudulent Malaysian identities to purchase subsidized packets — a concern amplified by social media. Six prosecutions have followed in 2026: three targeting retailers who sold to non-citizens, and three targeting the non-citizen buyers themselves, with seized goods totaling over RM15,000 and fines of RM7,000 imposed.
To guard against identity fraud, the eCOSS app requires users to match a live selfie against their identification document during registration, and cross-references accounts against the National Registration Department's database. Whether these layers of digital accountability will prove durable — and whether five million Malaysians will continue to find affordable cooking oil on their shelves — is the question the ministry's enforcement record is only beginning to answer.
Malaysia's government has moved to tighten control over one of its most visible subsidy programs. The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry announced this week that it had removed 179 companies from eCOSS—the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme System—for breaking the rules that govern how subsidised cooking oil reaches Malaysian households. The infractions ranged from storing more oil than permitted to selling packets to foreigners, operating with expired business licenses, and maintaining purchase-sales records that didn't add up.
The eCOSS system itself is relatively new. It launched as a pilot on May 1, 2025, and by mid-June 2026 had enrolled more than five million Malaysians and moved 91 million one-kilogramme packets of subsidised oil through the supply chain. The program represents a shift toward digital oversight—a way to track cooking oil from the manufacturer through the packager, wholesaler, and retailer all the way to the consumer's kitchen. Deputy Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh framed the enforcement action as part of a broader effort to make sure the subsidy actually reaches the people it's meant to help.
The complaints tell a story of a system under pressure. In 2024, before the app existed, the ministry recorded 13,354 complaints and feedback reports about the cooking oil subsidy. After eCOSS launched in 2025, that number dropped to 5,320—a sign that digital tracking may be catching problems earlier. So far in 2026, there have been 9,050 complaints, a figure the ministry attributes partly to the growing user base now exceeding five million people. Each complaint, Fuziah said, is reviewed and investigated if it comes with sufficient evidence.
One particular concern has drawn public attention: foreigners using Malaysian identification numbers or borrowed identities to buy subsidised cooking oil packets, a phenomenon that circulated on social media. The ministry has intensified enforcement around this specific violation. Six cases were prosecuted under the Control of Supplies Regulations in 2026 so far. Three involved retailers selling subsidised packets to non-citizens; goods seized in those cases were valued at RM65. The other three cases involved non-citizens purchasing the subsidised packets themselves; seized goods in those cases totaled RM15,180, and fines imposed came to RM7,000.
The eCOSS app itself has been built with multiple security layers designed to prevent identity fraud. It uses electronic Know Your Customer technology, or eKYC, which requires users to match a selfie against their identification document during registration. The app is also integrated with MyDigital ID and cross-checked against the National Registration Department's database to verify that the person registering is who they claim to be. Fuziah acknowledged that reports of identity misuse would be investigated thoroughly, provided an official complaint and sufficient evidence were submitted.
The removal of 179 companies represents a significant tightening. These firms had violated storage limits, sold oil above the permitted quantity, sold to ineligible buyers, operated with expired licenses, or maintained suspicious ratios between what they purchased and what they sold. The ministry framed the action as evidence that the system is working—that enforcement is catching violations and that the digital infrastructure is making it harder for subsidies to leak away from their intended recipients. Whether the enforcement will be sustained, and whether the five million users will continue to see stable, affordable cooking oil, remains to be seen.
Citações Notáveis
KPDN believes that the increase in the number of users and digitally recorded transactions is a positive indicator that subsidy distribution is becoming more accurately targeted to the intended groups, while helping to reduce the risk of leakages.— Deputy Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does Malaysia need a digital app just to distribute cooking oil? Isn't that a staple that should be straightforward to subsidise?
Because the subsidy itself becomes a target. Once you set a price below market rate, people find ways to profit from the gap—reselling to neighbours, selling to foreigners, hoarding. The app creates a record of who bought what, when, and where. It's not about the oil; it's about preventing leakage.
And the identity fraud angle—foreigners using Malaysian IDs to buy subsidised packets. How widespread is that actually?
The ministry hasn't given exact numbers, but it was visible enough on social media that they felt compelled to address it publicly. Six prosecuted cases so far this year, with RM15,000 in seized goods. That's not massive, but it's the kind of thing that erodes public trust in the program if it's seen as unfair.
Five million users in just over a year. That's a lot of people relying on this system. What happens if the app fails or goes down?
That's the vulnerability nobody talks about. The system works only if the digital infrastructure holds. But the ministry seems confident—they're investing in security layers, cross-checking against national databases. The real test will be whether they can sustain enforcement without the app becoming a burden on retailers and consumers.
The complaints dropped from 13,354 in 2024 to 5,320 in 2025 after the app launched. That's a huge fall. Does that mean the system fixed the problem?
Or it means people stopped complaining because they could see the system was tracking things. Or fewer violations happened because retailers knew they were being watched. The app itself might be the deterrent. But 9,050 complaints so far in 2026 suggests the problems haven't disappeared—they've just shifted.