KUCHING: Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii welcomes Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution’s announcement on “special consideration” given to Sabah and Sarawak regarding the federal government’s targeted petrol subsidy plan.
“Based on the announcement, the targeted subsidy mechanism will not be applied to Sabah and Sarawak, thus the current subsidy — where RON95 is capped at RM2.08 per litre — will continue to be applied.
“When the initial intention to introduce the targeted subsidy was announced, we made a few positive engagements and gave our feedback to the different ministries in order to give special consideration based on our needs and demographics in Sabah and Sarawak,” Dr Yii stated.
The announcement showed that the federal government was committed to Sabah and Sarawak, and sent a strong message of appreciation for both states’ contributions to the federation, he added.
“For this year, the federal government spent about RM150 million a week in subsidy from Aug 23 to Sept 13, and an average of RM170 mln a week for week after that.
“It is then important that a proper check mechanism has to be in place to make sure that those intended parties benefit from the system rather than it being abused and used to profit the rich instead.
“I also urge for the border patrol to be more vigilant so that such subsidised fuel are not sold instead to neighbouring countries or even commercial factories where these subsidies are not intended to benefit,” he pointed out.
