KUALA LUMPUR: Government departments should cater to those who prefer cash transactions.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Datuk Paul Selvaraj said this was in line with the government’s policy that no one should be left behind.
“We must always give options because there are a lot of people who are not in sync with technology.
“Ours is an ageing society. We can’t just cater to the young. Many (elderly folk) are not comfortable with e-transactions as they do not have e-skills and do not fully trust them.
“It can’t be forced on them.”
Paul said even commercial banks doing away with passbooks could be described as troublesome.
He said there were many complaints from the elderly that they preferred the conventional banking system where passbooks stated the sum of cash they had in their accounts and the transactions involved.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, 73, also agreed that the move would be unfair to those who were not ready for e-transactions.
He said there should always be an option to use cash in both government and private sector.
“There must always be an option for the sake of fairness. And it should never be done away with.”
He said there were benefits of going cashless but if it were to be fully implemented, people needed a long and comfortable grace period, which could take years instead of mere months.
He said that it could trigger an “avalanche”.
“In China, for example, even hawkers refuse money, opting instead for e-payments. So, we need to know the direction we are going with this.”
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng previously said there was no timeline for government departments to go completely cashless.
He also said it would depend on the departments.
He said in the case of the Immigration Department, the matter was under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry.
Earlier, the New Straits Times reported that while the move towards cashless transactions had commenced in government departments in Kedah, the public could still make payments in cash — at least until the middle of the year.
The Immigration Department in Shah Alam has been encouraging cashless transactions since late last year.
The department, however, will only go into full cashless mode for its services in July.
The National Registration Department in Shah Alam kick-started cashless transactions last month. However, cash payments are accepted.