By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 8: The Social Welfare Council of Sarawak (SWCS) is appealing to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) and the relevant authorities to review the eligibility of vehicles used by welfare and charitable organisations under the BUDI MADANI diesel and RON95 fuel subsidy programmes.
The appeal focuses particularly on window vans used for genuine welfare purposes, which SWCS says are essential to the delivery of assistance to vulnerable communities.
President of SWCS Datin Sri Dona Drury-Wee said the Council was not seeking special treatment or a blanket subsidy, but a fair and practical mechanism that recognises the actual use of welfare vehicles genuinely used to deliver assistance and serve those in need.
Dona said member organisations had raised concerns over the increasing financial burden of having to purchase fuel at non-subsidised rates for vehicles used in welfare operations.
The vehicles were not primarily used for commercial purposes but played an important role in delivering food rations and essential supplies, transporting elderly and vulnerable individuals, visiting families in need, and providing direct assistance to communities, she added.
“Many welfare organisations rely largely on donations, fundraising activities and public contributions, without a consistent source of income. Some are also churches, temples, shrines and other faith-based or community organisations that carry out legitimate charitable work,” Dona said in a statement.
Dona said rising fuel costs would place additional pressure on these organisations, reducing the funds available for food, medicine, essential supplies and other forms of assistance for those in need.
She pointed out that some organisations reported incurring additional fuel costs amounting to thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands, of ringgit each month, depending on the number of vehicles they operate and the scale of their welfare activities.
From Sept 3 to 9, 2026, the subsidised price of RON95 was RM1.99 per litre, compared with RM3.77 per litre at the non-subsidised rate, representing a difference of RM1.78 per litre.
For diesel, the subsidised price was RM2.10 per litre, compared with RM4.67 per litre at the non-subsidised rate, representing a difference of RM2.57 per litre, she said.
Citing the example of an organisation operating three window vans and serving approximately 300 poor families, she said the organisation could face a substantial additional monthly fuel burden if its vehicles were required to purchase fuel at the non-subsidised rate.
SWCS is proposing that the government consider a special provision or appropriate subsidy mechanism for verified welfare vehicles, including window vans, based on their actual use and purpose rather than solely on vehicle classification.
Such a mechanism, Dona said, could be subject to proper verification. SWCS and its member organisations are prepared to provide vehicle registration details, lists of vehicles, fuel usage records and evidence of welfare activities to assist the authorities in establishing that the vehicles are genuinely used for charitable and welfare purposes.
She said the Council hoped KPDN and the relevant authorities would review the matter and find a practical solution that would prevent rising fuel costs from reducing the assistance available to vulnerable members of society.
“We respectfully appeal to the government to consider the actual welfare purpose of these vehicles and the communities they serve,” she said. – DayakDaily
