A think tank has recommended rollouts by state or ID number to avoid payment terminal overloads as seen during the first day of the RM100 Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid rollout last Sunday.
The one-off aid, redeemable until Dec 31, allows Malaysian adults to purchase essential goods via their MyKads.
Many recipients encountered checkout failures and long delays in processing purchases during the first day of the aid’s rollout, with the finance ministry and MyKasih apologising after stating that the high volume of activity had strained the system.
In a statement, the Social & Economic Research Initiative (Seri) said the overloads had undermined beneficiaries’ experience, with some forced to pay by cash despite having SARA credit, eroding confidence not only in the programme but also in future digital public…