By Remy Majangkim (Majangkim Office)
KOTA KINABALU: The Fact That Destroys Every Government Excuse
Malaysia exports diesel to the Philippines. At their pump, it sells for RM10 to RM13 per litre. Sabah pays RM2.15. Peninsular Malaysia pays RM6.72. Thailand pays RM6.00.
The same diesel. Four different prices. One region.
The Philippine Department of Energy confirmed that 300,000 barrels of diesel from Malaysia arrived in early April 2026 — part of a 900,000 barrel procurement to stabilise their supply.
If Malaysia is in a diesel shortage — if manufacturers are cutting production — why is the same country exporting diesel for profit?
The shortage narrative is a lie. The export profits are real.
Now the federal government wants to raise diesel prices in Sabah and Sarawak.
The Question That Started It All
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang asked why Peninsular Malaysia pays RM6.72 while Sabah pays RM2.15. Sabah DAP Youth chief Chan Loong Wei reprimanded him, citing Sabah’s hilly terrain and diesel dependence.
Chan is not wrong. But both men are missing the real question.
Why is Sabah — after more than 50 years of contributing its oil and gas — dependent on subsidised diesel at all?
The ASEAN Reality Check
Let me put Sabah’s diesel price in regional context.
Country/Region Diesel Price (RM/litre)
Sabah 2.15
Thailand 6.00
Peninsular Malaysia 6.72
Philippines 10.10 – 13.00
Thailand — an oil importer — manages diesel at RM6.00. The Philippines — also an importer — pays RM10–RM13.
Sabah pays RM2.15. Not because the federal government is generous. But because Sabah’s economy would collapse at market prices.
And why would it collapse? Because 48 years of withheld 40% left it weak.
The subsidy is life support for a patient the federal government itself wounded.
The Prime Minister’s Scolding: “Be Grateful. Don’t Be Greedy.”
Every May at Kaamatan, the Prime Minister announces billions in federal “generosity” to Sabah. The crowd roars. Then comes the scolding: “Be grateful. Don’t be greedy.”
He boasts about money the High Court says was unlawfully withheld. He scolds Sabahans for asking what is constitutionally theirs.
Now the same Prime Minister — who also holds the Finance portfolio — is reviewing diesel subsidies in Sabah and Sarawak, framing them as something provided “although it is not within MA63.”
Translation: “We are giving you something we do not have to give. Be grateful.”
The 40% Wound That Will Not Heal
The High Court declared that from 1974 to 2021 — 48 years — the federal government unlawfully denied Sabah its 40% constitutional payment. The court found abuse of powers and breach of constitutional duties.
The federal government did not appeal the 40% right. They appealed the word “abuse.”
They are not denying the violation. They are denying the language.
The subsidy is not a gift. It is life support for a patient the federal government itself wounded.
The Continental Shelf Reality
The media screams crisis. Economy Minister Akmal Nasir warns Malaysia has fuel only until May.
But here is what the media does not tell you.
Sabah contributes nearly 40 per cent of Malaysia’s oil production. (Petronas Annual Report 2024)
From Sabah’s continental shelf. From waters that belong to Sabah.
Sabah produces sour crude — the perfect feedstock for diesel. Yet Sabahans pay RM2.15 because their economy would collapse at market prices.
The diesel shortage is a federal problem. The 40% is Sabah’s problem.
The Gomez Verdict: Power Corrupts
Professor Edmund Terence Gomez warns: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This ecosystem functions as a core tool for the abuse of power to serve vested political interests.”
Gomez documented that through seven GLICs under the Ministry of Finance, the Finance Minister controls 42% of Bursa Malaysia — linked to 68,300 companies.
His warning: “If we continue with this system, the two roles will never be separated because the prime minister will always fear losing such huge control of the economy.”
The same Prime Minister who holds both portfolios — who controls 68,300 companies, who has sole access to classified PDA 74 contracts — is the same person reviewing diesel subsidies in Sabah and Sarawak.
No checks and balances. No one to say no.
The Only Logical Conclusion
Why is Malaysia exporting diesel for profit while claiming a shortage?
Why does Thailand — an oil importer — manage diesel at RM6.00 while Peninsular Malaysia pays RM6.72?
Why has the 40% been unpaid for 48 years?
The only logical conclusion is that someone, somewhere, is profiting from this manufactured crisis.
The Dead Man Switch
Any attempt to raise diesel prices in Sabah pulls a dead man switch.
For 50 years, Sabahans have waited patiently for the federal government to do right. They have watched the trunk being carried away. They have been told to “be grateful” while their roads crumbled.
Sabahans remember.
They remember the Kaamatan scolding. They remember 48 years of withheld payments. They remember being told to “be grateful” while their schools underfunded and their electricity depended on diesel generators.
Sabahans have long memories. And their patience is not infinite.
Hadi Awang should know the road conditions in Sabah. Owning and using a 4×4 is not a luxury. It is a necessity. That is the reality of 50 years of neglected infrastructure while Sabah’s oil revenue built Peninsular highways.
DAP should know Sabah’s predicament. They have been collecting seats for years. They went numb. They forgot to fight for Sabah’s rights.
Their demise in the last Sabah state election was not an accident. It was a verdict.
The Price of Diesel is Measured in Votes
The next election is looming. The parliament is hung. Every vote will matter.
When Sabahans go to the polls, they will remember which party raised diesel prices. They will remember which party scolded them to “be grateful.” They will remember which party stayed silent while the 40% remained unpaid.
Sabahans will reject any and all representatives from across the sea.
Not just the ruling party. Not just the opposition. Every politician who took Sabah’s votes for granted, who treated Sabahans as supplicants rather than partners, who went numb while Sabah’s wealth flowed outward.
The price of diesel is not measured in ringgit. It is measured in votes.
Sabah and Sarawak have over 6 million people watching, waiting, and remembering.
Conclusion: Do Not Pull the Switch
Let me end where I began.
Malaysia exports diesel to the Philippines for RM10–RM13 per litre. Sabah pays RM2.15. Peninsular Malaysia pays RM6.72. Thailand pays RM6.00.
Four prices. One diesel. One region.
The federal government has a choice.
Treat Sabahans as partners — pay the 40%, end the scolding, open the books.
Or treat Sabahans as supplicants — raise prices, claim generosity, and pull the dead man switch.
“Be grateful,” the Prime Minister says.
Sabah will be grateful when the 40% is paid. When the roads are built. When the schools are funded. When the questions are answered.
Not before.
And Sabah will vote accordingly.
The Majangkim Office recommends the government does not pull the dead man switch.
Because once the tree falls, the forest does not forget.
And Sabah has been watching for 50 years.
DISCLAIMER: This article presents verifiable public data, court records, academic research, and government statements. It does not allege criminal conduct. It presents facts and asks questions in the public interest.
