Kinabatangan Villagers Rue Being Excluded From Budi95

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In the neglected stretches of the Kinabatangan River, where outboard engines mean mobility and petrol generators mean light, families are bearing the full brunt of fuel costs after the government implemented the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy mechanism.
For the poor villagers of Kampung Dagat, Kampung Sri Ganda, and other remote settlements along the river located in the Sabah east coast area, a trip to the nearest petrol station not only takes hours, but it is also a costly affair.
To them, fuel is not just another household expense. It is part of their survival.
These remote fishing communities that rely on petrol every day are currently excluded from both the government’s new Budi95 scheme, which requires a driving licence, and the fisherfolk’s fuel subsidy, with no clear explanation why.
Instead, they must depend on neighbours with vehicles to haul petrol from distant towns, paying above market rates to cover transport costs.
‘Never once received subsidised fuel’
“We buy petrol at RM2.75 a litre. Three times a month, I need to purchase (the fuel) in bulk for fishing trips. Never once have I received subsidised fuel,” villager Patir Oting told Malaysiakini.
Patir Oting (left) guiding anglers on his boatPatir, 53, runs a small guesthouse in Kampung Dagat while taking anglers upriver in his casting boat. He also does not hold a driving licence required for Budi95.
His applications for subsidised fuel were rejected because there is no nearby station to collect daily quotas. While his wife manages the guesthouse, he ferries visitors upriver. If more than two anglers arrive, he hires fellow villagers to run extra boats.
The rising cost of fuel has forced him to consider raising guesthouse rates in a community that already pays more than city dwellers for essentials like rice and cooking oil.
‘None of us ever received subsidised petrol’
Another villager, Saidin Jamil, described the situation more bluntly.
ADS“Our kampung (village) has 22 houses, about 60 people - all fisherfolk,” he said.
“Not a single one of us has ever received subsidised petrol. Eleven households own vehicles, but we are not eligible. Even cooking oil, rice, and gas cylinders cost more here than in town,” said Saidin.
Jasman SamsudinFor Saidin, the irony is bitter - subsidies meant for fisherfolk had bypassed actual fishing families in Kinabatangan.
Further down the river in Kampung Sri Ganda, fisherfolk and sport-fishing operator Jasman Samsudin shares the same frustration.
His 15-horsepower engine consumes 15 to 20 litres a day. His homestay depends on a generator - four litres a night, or up to 12 litres if anglers stay longer.
“I’ve applied several times for subsidised fuel but never once got approved. And without a driving licence, I don’t qualify for Budi95,” he lamented.
“For your information, our distance to the nearest town is more than 100km. We have no choice but to buy petrol at the market rate.”
Community drumming programme
For years, Putrajaya has cited the community drumming programme - which delivers subsidised petrol, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in 200-litre drums to rural sale points - as proof that no one is left behind.
But in East Kinabatangan, villagers say it fails to reach them. Quotas are quickly exhausted, drumming points are far from river communities, and eligibility rules - requiring licences and formal registration - leave artisanal fisherfolk outside the net.
Across Kinabatangan, there are more than 400 fisherfolk, mostly artisanal, living in villages too remote to get regular fuel access.
For instance, Kampung Abai, one of the river settlements, was among the first chosen for the government’s “community drumming” programme meant to ease the burden, but gaps still remain.
The requirement to be a “registered fisherfolk” adds another layer of exclusion.
Many in Kinabatangan were never formally registered due to long-standing gaps in outreach and documentation, leaving genuine fisherfolk “invisible and neglected” despite depending on the river for their survival.
Minister’s assurance
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan Ali acknowledged their hardship.
“The government is very concerned about residents who use boats as their main mode of transport, especially in island and riverine areas in Sabah and Sarawak,” he told Malaysiakini.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Armizan AliHe said the government has agreed in principle that public passenger boats using RON95 will be entitled to subsidies under Budi95 or a new Sistem Kawalan Petrol Bersubsidi.
As an interim step, registered operators will be allowed to claim reimbursements with receipts, while the existing diesel subsidy appeals committee will be expanded to handle petrol cases.
“If they are registered fisherfolk, they should enjoy the subsidy meant for them,” Armizan said.
He added that his ministry would work with the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to ensure fuel subsidy reaches the fisherfolk communities. -  Mkini

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