Datuk Junz Wong
KOTA KINABALU (June 23): Warisan vice president Datuk Junz Wong has welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that Malaysians will be able to purchase subsidised diesel at RM2.10 per litre nationwide through a MyKad-based mechanism beginning next month.
However, he urged the federal government to demonstrate the same urgency and political will in addressing the long-standing cost disparities faced by Sabahans.
Wong said the latest diesel subsidy mechanism was a significant improvement over the previous system, which many Sabahans found “cumbersome, impractical and disconnected from the realities of daily life in Sabah.”
He recalled that when the federal government expanded eligibility under the Subsidised Diesel Control System (SKDS) to include jeeps and pickup trucks used in the land transport sector, Sabahans were still required to navigate complicated registration requirements, including company ownership and vehicle ownership transfer conditions, before becoming eligible.
“I raised concerns at the time because the policy failed to appreciate the realities faced by ordinary Sabahans,” Wong said.
The Tanjung Aru assemblyman stressed that in Sabah, pickup trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles are not luxury items but necessities.
“Many families rely on them daily because road conditions remain poor in many parts of the state and public transportation is nowhere near as comprehensive as what is available in Kuala Lumpur and other major cities in Peninsular Malaysia,” he explained.
Wong said the government’s decision to introduce a simpler nationwide subsidy mechanism showed that Putrajaya was capable of responding swiftly when shortcomings in policy implementation became apparent.
“That is precisely why Sabahans are asking a simple question. If the federal government can rationalise the diesel subsidy system nationwide at lightning speed following public feedback and concerns from Peninsular Malaysians, why has it still not been able to meaningfully rationalise the decades-old cost disparities between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah?” he asked.
According to him, Sabahans have endured significantly higher prices for food, consumer goods, construction materials, transportation and logistics for generations despite being equal partners in the Federation of Malaysia since 1963.
“More than six decades after the formation of Malaysia, Sabahans continue to pay more for many basic necessities than Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia. Many Sabahans would argue that the cost burden they face today is worse than what previous generations experienced, and in recent years the situation has become increasingly difficult and unbearable for many families,” he added.
Wong said that while successive federal governments had introduced various price standardisation, transport subsidy and cost rationalisation programmes, these measures largely treated the symptoms rather than addressing the underlying causes of Sabah’s higher cost structure.
He pointed out that the reality is that Sabah continues to face higher logistics costs, shipping costs, infrastructure gaps, supply chain inefficiencies and a weak manufacturing base.
“Until these structural issues are properly addressed, Sabahans will continue paying more regardless of how many temporary subsidy schemes are introduced,” he said.
Wong also noted that the problem extends beyond the cost gap between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.
“There are also significant cost disparities within Sabah itself. A family living in Kota Kinabalu does not face the same costs as a family living in Pitas, Tongod, Nabawan, Kalabakan, Beluran or many other rural districts where transportation and logistics costs substantially increase the prices of essential goods,” he said.
Wong said the Madani Government must recognise that Sabahans contribute to the nation on equal terms.
“Sabahans pay the same individual income taxes. Sabah businesses pay the same corporate taxes. We contribute to the same national coffers. Therefore, Sabahans have every right to expect the federal government to accord equal priority to addressing the cost-of-living challenges faced by Sabah,” he added.
He urged Putrajaya to formulate a comprehensive long-term strategy to narrow and ultimately eliminate the structural cost gap between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia through improvements in logistics infrastructure, port efficiency, transportation connectivity, industrial development and rural supply chains.
“Sabahans are not asking for special treatment. We are simply asking for fair treatment. If Putrajaya can mobilise the machinery of government to rationalise diesel subsidies nationwide within months, it should have no excuse for allowing Sabah’s long-standing cost disparities to persist decade after decade. Sabahans’ wellbeing matters too,” he said.
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