Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi has urged the Finance Ministry to ensure the ePemula cash rollout can benefit students instead of e-wallet providers.
This comes after student recipients complained that the RM150 per person dispensed into e-wallets cannot be used for online shopping, among others.
“While we appreciate the government’s decision to continue Pakatan Harapan’s policy to promote cashless transactions, the government must ensure students actually benefited from this programme.
“The government should ensure that the RM300 million is received and fully spent by claimants to benefit their needs and to boost the local economy,” Wong said in a statement today.
She said it does not make sense that the RM150 per person cannot be spent online, given the shopping and spending trend among youths.
Not only that, some students are staying in areas where they may not be able to spend the money in their e-wallets in local stores that do not accept e-payment, Wong said.
She also pointed to complaints about an e-wallet platform provider’s decision to split up the RM150 into several smaller vouchers.
While the e-wallet platform provider may have its own reasons for doing so, she said this greatly inconveniences the students, who may not be able to spend the money on something they really need or may not finish spending the money given, subsequently wasting the aid.
She then questioned if all e-wallet platform providers receive the RM150 after a claimant registers for it or if the Finance Ministry makes payment based on the amount spent by the claimant.
“More importantly, will the Finance Ministry accept e-wallet platforms giving out credit in RM5 or RM1 vouchers in the future?” she asked.
The ePemula programme was announced under Budget 2022 and aims to encourage cashless spending by youths.
The registration and claim period began on April 11 and will end June 1, 2022.
The e-cash credit must be spent by June 10, 2022. - Mkini
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