Dapsy Sabah slams PAS president for ‘misleading’ Borneo fuel subsidy structure
by Mariah Doksil · Borneo Post OnlineKOTA KINABALU (April 9): Sabah DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) Sabah has taken to task Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang over his remarks questioning the differing fuel pricing approach between Peninsular Malaysia and the Borneo states, describing them as a failure to grasp the fundamentals of Malaysia’s formation and the realities on the ground in Sabah and Sarawak.
State chief Chan Loong Wei said the PAS president should be more cognisant that Sabah and Sarawak are not merely ordinary states but equal partners in the federation as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said statements questioning the need for differentiated policies appeared to disregard the structural, geographical and cost-of-living differences between regions, which must be taken into account in national policymaking.
Chan stressed that fuel pricing and diesel subsidy issues in Sabah and Sarawak cannot be viewed solely through the prism of international geopolitics, such as tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Linking the matter to countries like Iran, the United States or Israel, he said, was irrelevant and misleading.
“The real challenges in Sabah and Sarawak are domestic in nature, notably higher logistics costs, vast travel distances and difficult terrain,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Chan pointed out that in Sabah, road networks traverse hilly landscapes, with scattered rural communities and a heavy reliance on land transport for daily supplies, making diesel a critical cost component.
“Without targeted subsidies aligned with local realities, any increase in fuel prices would have a direct impact on the cost of essential goods, placing additional pressure on the people,” he added.
Chan argued that differing approaches between Peninsular Malaysia and the Borneo states should not be misconstrued as inequality, but rather viewed as a fair and pragmatic policy necessity.
“Applying a one-size-fits-all approach without accounting for stark differences will only deepen imbalances,” Chan said.
He further expressed concern that the PAS president’s remarks reflected a lack of respect for Sabah and Sarawak’s standing as equal partners in the federation.
“Malaysia was not built on a uniform mould, but on mutual understanding that each region has its own uniqueness that must be respected,” he added.
Dapsy Sabah called on all parties, particularly PAS leaders and the opposition, to refrain from politicising issues that directly affect public welfare, and instead focus on policies grounded in facts, local realities and the spirit of MA63.
“Sabah and Sarawak should not be simplistically compared, but understood and respected within the framework of a fair and inclusive Malaysia,” he added.