Deputy finance minister Steven Sim said a special panel set up under his ministry is studying several mechanisms to ensure those deserving of the government’s subsidies were not left behind.

“The mechanisms for targeted subsidy implementation are being studied in detail, including using apps like MySejahtera and such.

“I agree there is an issue of leakage in terms of our subsidies.

“It’s not easy for any government to implement targeted subsidies because those who can’t receive them will be angry. Even if they are foreigners, they will still complain,” he told the Dewan Negara today, as reported by Utusan Malaysia.

Earlier, Arman Azha Abu Hanifah cited leakages as the main problem faced by the country in rolling out subsidies, as allocations are often “lost” to foreigners.

He suggested the government consider using the MySejahtera for targeted subsidies, as 90% of the population has an account on the app.

MySejahtera was the health ministry’s main tool for managing the Covid-19 pandemic and was required for check-ins at public places when lockdown restrictions were eased.

The app was mainly used for contact tracing, self-quarantine and booking vaccination appointments.

The app now also offers other features, including for the public to set dental appointments at government health clinics.