PUTRAJAYA, Sept 2 — Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican today said the MyKasih system has been upgraded to handle more transactions, assuring Malaysians that the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) aid programme can now proceed smoothly.
This comes after reports of significant slowdowns at several locations, as the payment terminal system operated through the MyKasih network experienced an overwhelming response from SARA recipients.
Johan said the system capacity had been upgraded yesterday to allow 15,000 transactions at one time.
“Although it is a working day, it is understood that many still went to the shops to redeem their credit. However, the situation has improved in terms of capacity today.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and further enhance capacity to ensure an improved customer experience, so that transactions can proceed smoothly, as all SARA recipients had previously enjoyed,” he said during a press conference here.
Treasury secretary-general Datuk Johan Mahmood Merican today said the MyKasih system has been upgraded to handle more transactions. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Johan explained that in preparation for the SARA rollout, MyKasih had taken steps to strengthen its system, including conducting stress tests ahead of time.
The foundation had boosted capacity to handle more than 2,200 transactions simultaneously.
However, on August 31, the system was hit by an unexpected surge, with transaction requests spiking to over 5,000 per minute, surpassing its limit.
This resulted in long queues and incomplete transactions at supermarkets and shops.
“Despite the challenges, the system did not crash or fail completely. It continued to operate, but under the strain of unusually high demand,” he said.
Johan said MyKasih has continued efforts to raise system capacity, with a new patch rolled out over the past two days.
The update is understood to have helped improved transactions at major supermarkets, with no significant disruptions reported.
Johan also reminded recipients that the credit remains valid until December 31, 2025, assuring them that there is still plenty of time to use it.
The aid programme’s transaction hit RM110 million in just two days, with more than 1.7 million recipients making purchases nationwide.
The one-off RM100 SARA credit channelled directly to recipients’ MyKad is valid until December 31 and can be used at more than 7,300 registered retail outlets nationwide.
