MIRI: The fuel subsidy structure under the 2019 Budget that only provides for cars with an engine capacity of 1,500cc and below will leave many rural Sarawakians in the lurch.
The Federation of Orang Ulu Sarawak slammed the budget for being insensitive to the situation faced by rural folk.
They said four-wheel drive vehicles have to be used for their daily travel because of the rough terrain, but under the new budget, these will not qualify for subsidised fuel.
They aimed criticism at Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng for not consulting Sarawakians on the issue.
“In rural Sarawak, we need to use four-wheel drive vehicles that are at least 2,500cc in order to ply the tough and rough mountainous and hilly terrain.
“This cut in fuel subsidies will hurt us rural Sarawakians in a big way,” said Gala.
There are about one million Sarawakians living in rural longhouses out of Sarawak’s three million population.
Most depend on four-wheel drive vehicles to travel in and out of rural areas.
Under the 2019 Budget, only vehicles with engine capacities of 1,500cc and below and motorcycles of 125cc and below qualify for a limited amount of subsidised fuel per month.
In previous budgets, there was no cap on the engine capacity of vehicles entitled to subsidised fuel.
Keyword: Fuel subsidy structure hurts rural Sarawakians, says NGO