KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government should study a proposal to increase the monthly quota of the Budi Diesel initiative from 200 litres to 500 litres per month in Sabah, says state PKR Youth chief Zaidi Jatil.
The issue was raised by Sabah PKR representative Junaidah Makku at the just-concluded PKR national congress debate.
“(The proposal) is reasonable and fully supported by us. It reflects the voices and realities of the people in Sabah.
“In our view, this proposal deserves careful consideration by the Prime Minister and the Madani Government,” he said in a statement on Monday (Aug 17).
Zaidi added that Sabah’s geographical size, terrain, and transport networks are very different compared to other regions in the country.
“There are still communities who must travel long distances to reach towns, deliver agricultural produce, run businesses, or access basic services.
“What may seem sufficient on paper does not necessarily meet the real needs of travel in Sabah,” he said, explaining that diesel usage was not a choice but a necessity for many in the state to sustain their livelihoods
Zaidi also said that Sabahans were not asking for special treatment, but only for their needs to be evaluated based on realities in the state.
“However, targeted subsidies must also account for regional differences, so that good policies do not end up having unequal impacts simply because of geographical realities,” he added.
On April 16, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said several improvements to the implementation of the targeted diesel subsidy system were being studied, with the government expected to make an announcement within the next two months.
He said the measures include simplifying the application process, relaxing the eligibility criteria for “sambung bayar” (taking over hire-purchase payments) vehicles and allowing quota transfers to immediate family members.
“We are still studying several proposals for improvement, and in the next one to two months, we will make an announcement on the improvements, particularly in terms of the process and eligibility,” he previously told reporters in Tawau.
State lawmakers have said there was a need not only to increase the diesel subsidy for East Malaysia, but also for a special mechanism to be put in place to properly assess and determine Sabah's actual diesel requirements.
