Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Vice President Gee Tien Siong said the arbitrary quota system should be scrapped in favour of unlimited subsidised diesel for Sabahans because the state produces far more fuel than it consumes.
“Sabah contributes nearly half of Malaysia’s crude oil — it is only right that our people enjoy the benefits of the resources we extract from our own land,” he said, in a statement.
Citing Ministry of Finance data, Malaysia produces some 350,000 barrels of crude oil daily, with Sabah accounting for an estimated 140,000 barrels — or 40% of total national output.
Refined, that volume could yield around 167 million litres of diesel every month, more than double Sabah’s estimated monthly consumption of 83 million litres.
“Sabah gives more than it takes. Yet we are being handed a scheme that gives almost nothing back,” Gee charged.
He tore into the new policy’s core terms: while subsidised diesel has been cut by five sen to RM2.10 per litre, eligible users are capped at just 200 litres a month — a total saving of only RM10. Once that quota is used up, consumers must pay the unsubsidised rate of RM4.07 per litre, more than doubling costs.
“A RM10 monthly saving is laughable for families, farmers and businesses already crushed by rising prices. It is nothing more than a band-aid that will fall off the moment anyone needs to fill up a second time,” Gee said.
He also blasted the “labyrinth of red tape” attached to the programme — mandatory online registration, approval delays, fleet cards, refund processes and nominated driver rules — all unnecessary hurdles when a ready-made solution already exists.
“Why reinvent the wheel? Just use the proven MyKad verification system already running for BUDI95 at every station. It works, it’s simple, and it stops abuse,” he said.
Gee stressed that tighter enforcement against smuggling and fuel diversion can and must be done — but not at the expense of ordinary Sabahans.
He said the 200-litre cap is completely out of touch with Sabah’s reality: vast distances, remote settlements, diesel-dependent generators, tractors and transport fleets, and frontline workers like teachers and health staff who travel hours daily.
“This quota was designed for Peninsular Malaysia, not a state where a single trip to town can take half a tank. It punishes exactly the people who need support most — rural folk, small operators, and those who keep our economy moving,” he added.
“Sabah is not asking for charity. We are asking to keep a fair share of the wealth we created,” Gee added.
