KUALA LUMPUR: Bus and truck operators who have not received fleet cards yet for the diesel subsidies are entitled to get a cash refund, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
He denied the allegations by a few bus and lorry operators who felt burdened by the implementation of the new diesel price after their application to obtain the fleet card was not approved.
Loke said they must keep the diesel purchase receipts to claim for a cash refund from the Finance Ministry later.
"For most of them, it is probably because the application was made last minute and hence, they have not received a fleet card before the announcement (of the new diesel price of RM3.35 per litre)," he told reporters.
Loke said the Finance Ministry will announce the cash rebate or refund mechanism soon.
He stressed that the government chose not to issue a long notice regarding the implementation of diesel price floating to avoid hoarding.
"We have been talking about the rationalisation of this subsidy for months. It is true that the price floatation was announced yesterday, but we have already given a hint.
"If we give a long notice, everyone will go to the (diesel) pump, and gas stations will be out of stock, affecting the supply chain. We have discussed all these problems before making the decision," he said.
He added that the implementation signals that the government has the political will to change the country's economic structure and save billions of ringgit that only benefit smugglers.
"That's why we must introduce this policy. We hope that everyone can understand why the government is so determined to implement this policy, " he added.