He said all they have to do for now is to keep their receipts whenever they fuel up so that they can claim the costs from the government later.

“Many probably did not get their fleet cards due to applying at the last minute. Therefore, please ensure that you keep your receipts in order to get a rebate or refund later on,” he said at a press conference today.

Loke added that the finance ministry will announce the cash rebate or refund mechanism soon.

“Yes, you will be affected now but later on you will be compensated once the finance ministry announces the mechanism.”

Loke was responding to a coalition of bus and van drivers associations whose members were upset that they were not eligible for subsidised diesel.

Yesterday, second finance minister Amir Hamzah Azizan announced a new diesel price at RM3.35 per litre.

Amir said the rate was the unsubsidised market price for the commodity which was based on the average for May 2024. The diesel price will be reviewed every week.

Diesel prices for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will be maintained at RM2.15 per litre.

Today, Loke said it was crucial for the public to understand why the government had decided to float diesel prices.

“We lost billions of ringgit to smugglers, hence we have to implement this policy.”