PAPAR: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) will implement stricter and more comprehensive enforcement against smuggling of subsidised diesel in Sabah this year
Its Minister Datuk Armizan Ali said the Ministry would focus on fighting leakages, misappropriation and smuggling of subsidised goods such as diesel and other problems.
He said these crimes were an act of sabotage to the Government giving subsidies and protection to people who needed it.
“So this year, we will go all out to fight any form of wrongdoings for matters under our jurisdiction.
SPONSORED CONTENT Sabah International Convention Centre’s Big Sabah Sale a big hit Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah International Convention Centre’s (SICC) Big Sabah Sale which concluded on Sunday saw a good response with about 20,000 visitors during the three-day extravaganza. . Read more “For those still thinking about committing any offence, stop it. Find other forms of income that are legal,” he told reporters after attending the Samat Family Fun Hike event at Bukit Bendera, here.
Asked about continuous smuggling attempts of subsidised and controlled goods in Sabah, Armizan said this was an ongoing fight and effort by the Government to address the issue.
“For Sabah, we understand that we have a huge sea border, so that is why we have so many enforcement and monitoring mechanisms in place,” he said.
Armizan said this was among the reasons why the Federal Government also came up with the SKDS 2.0 (subsidised diesel control system 2.0) and the introduction of fleet cards for gas stations and customers in 2024.
“But this fleet card system is designed for use in Peninsular Malaysia first because Sabah and Sarawak do not have the targeted diesel subsidy yet, so Sabah and Sarawak will have other mechanisms,” he said.
He called on the community to work with the Government to ensure that there would be no more leakages and smugglings in future.
Armizan, who is also Papar Member of Parliament, said his Ministry was committed to helping the Government implement the targeted subsidy agenda with a commitment that the policy will be accompanied by guaranteed social aid for those in need.
He said the form and amount of social aid will not only involve the aspect of income but also the amount of dependent commitments to address emerging issues related to the cost of living, adding that the consideration for the amount of social aid will be based on the Padu data.
“The Government’s targeted subsidy policy does not mean that the subsidies will be completely withdrawn,” he said.
He explained that instead it involves reforms in the provision of subsidies and social aid to the people, and the Federal Government is committed to implementing a policy which comes with guaranteed social aid, including targeted cash aid subsidies.
Armizan said the core of the targeted subsidy policy and social aid reform implementation is the Central Database Hub (Padu) which will be launched by the Prime Minister on January 2, 2024, and he urged the people to register for the system and at the same time verify individual and household profile information.
“The Government will give the people three months until March 31 2024 to register for the system.
“I am also urging all relevant parties to cooperate. Not just federal agencies, but cooperation from all State Governments, down to the district and village levels, is essential.
“The Government will also provide space for both manual and online registration to ensure the communities in rural areas are not left behind. All Village Development and Security Committees (JPKK) are called on to assist in this effort,” he said.
On shortage of subsidised diesel in Sabah, Armizan said the problem arise due to the increased demand for the fuel during the festive season and school holidays.
“We found out that not all fuel stations in Sabah are facing a shortage of diesel.
For example, there is a fuel station that has to make ration for selling the subsidised diesel while there is a supply of the diesel in another station.
“We did check recently and received information from several gas stations where Petronas has no problem with the supply of subsidised diesel, while Petron has the stock (of the diesel) and they do not need additional quota for now,” he said.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.