Probe fuel shortage in Sabah, urges Tanjung Aru rep

KOTA KINABALU: An in-depth investigation should be conducted to find out why an oil and gas-producing country could face a fuel shortage, says a Sabah assemblyman.

Tanjung Aru assemblyman Datuk Junz Wong believes that Malaysia should not face any sort of diesel or fuel shortage, like what happened in the state recently.

“How come suddenly during this year-end season, we see so many petrol stations facing a subsidised diesel shortage?” he said.

He also wondered if the minister and authorities were carrying out any probe to get to the bottom of the matter.

On the explanation by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Ali that there was no shortage or limit of diesel quota for Sabah, Wong said it did not make sense.

“In the first place, this country should not even have a fuel shortage issue. Is it a coincidence that just a week before the abolition of the diesel subsidy in Peninsular Malaysia that Sabah and Sarawak suddenly have supply issues?

“I am not insinuating anything, I am just genuinely concerned and surprised at how we could even have this issue, being an oil-producing nation,” he said.

On Sunday, Armizan said there was no issue of supply shortages or hoarding of supplies by any oil and gas company in Sabah.

He said the recent shortage could be due to some petrol stations wanting to ensure their supplies were stable during this high-demand season because of the holidays. He said stations with low supply issues were resolving it with their suppliers.

Prior to this, Armizan had said the problem was partly due to petrol stations limiting their sales as they waited for their quota to be approved.

In Budget 2024, the government announced that, among others, it would implement targeted subsidies for diesel and RON95 petrol to benefit those in the lower-income bracket and cargo transport companies.