Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali said the ban would be implemented under the Supply Control Regulations pursuant to Section 6 of the Supply Act 1961.
The legal provisions will be referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers before enforcement, he said.
“Previously, there were calls to restrict purchases by foreigners, but retailers raised practical concerns regarding implementation, including monitoring and enforcement,” he said.
“By linking purchases to citizens’ identification card details, the system will allow retailers and authorities to effectively enforce the ban.”
Armizan was responding to Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai), who questioned the effectiveness of the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme System (eCOSS) price stabilisation system in distributing subsidised cooking oil to the elderly and low-income households.
Abdul Latiff also highlighted difficulties in rural areas without internet access and asked for measures to ensure that no households are left out.
The subsidised cooking oil packets programme provides a monthly quota of 60,000 metric tonnes primarily for Malaysian households, especially B40 groups.
The subsidy covers only 1kg polybag packets to target household use and prevent industrial abuse or smuggling, a policy reaffirmed since 2007.
Before the ban on foreigners, consumers had scanned QR codes at retailers to verify their eligibility and limit sales to Malaysians.
To address concerns that the Mobile eCOSS app might affect the elderly, low-income groups, and rural residents without internet access, Armizan said the ministry would expand use of the app, a process that began in May last year.
He said the roll-out started in Putrajaya, followed by selected outlets under Program Jualan Rahmah Madani, and then Johor in cooperation with the state government, before being extended to other states.
“At this pilot stage, manual purchases are still allowed, and transaction records can be kept manually. Targeted manual purchase options will be available at selected retail outlets without internet access,” he said.
Armizan said support for elderly and low-income buyers would be provided by retailers, with special modules for those without smartphones or internet access.
The eCOSS system will also be integrated with the MyKasih platform, allowing purchases via identification cards, similar to the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah programme, he added.
“We are working with the finance ministry to make this possible,” Armizan said.