THE Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is cheering the government’s move to limit the amount of diesel sold at petrol kiosks nationwide from August 1, an issue that has been causing headaches for ground transport operators.
According to Malaysian daily the New Sunday Times, petrol station operators will have to submit monthly reports on diesel sales to the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism while fleet card holders must seek approval from the ministry for additional quota after having exhausted their allocations.
This is aimed at curbing the actions of syndicates in Malaysia that purchase subsidised fuel and resell to industries to make a profit.
MATTA vice president – ground transportation, S Jaya Kumar, said the diesel shortage at petrol stations has been going on for years. “We’ve received a lot of complaints from our members about the shortage, especially towards the end of every month. My coach drivers have first-hand experience of this, having to go from one petrol station to another in Malacca, looking for fuel. The stations did not have enough fuel to fill a full tank, so the drivers had to fill little by little until they had enough fuel to travel to Singapore,” he elaborated.
“We’ve highlighted the diesel shortage to the Land Public Transport Commission and the Ministry of Transport, and we are glad that action has been taken.”
But Kumar cautioned: “However, it is imperative that the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism give approvals quickly – within one or two working days when tourism players request for additional allocations as ours is a dynamic industry with sudden spikes especially during festive seasons, school holidays, the year-end period and summer holidays. ”
