PUTRAJAYA: Transport Minister Anthony Loke said yesterday about 70,000 Malaysians risk missing out on the subsidised RON95 petrol simply because they have not updated their driving licence details.
He said while these motorists technically hold valid licences, their records are stuck in the past, some still tied to old identity card numbers, police or military IDs.
“Take a retired policeman, for example. If his licence still uses his police ID, the system will not recognise him. Only those with the new 12-digit MyKad number are eligible.”
He urged retirees and uniformed body personnel in particular to update their records at any Road Transport Department (RTD) branch, adding that that no fees would be charged.
He also said the update cannot be done online, as a thumbprint is required for citizenship verification.
“Don’t panic if you face issues at the pump. First, check the IC number on your licence,” he said, adding that the update takes about a week before the subsidy kicks in.
Special RTD counters would be set up nationwide to fast-track the process, with data sent to the Finance Ministry and cross-checked with the National Registration Department.
Loke said Malaysians working in Singapore who have Singapore licences but drive vehicles registered in Malaysia would also qualify. He also said the authorities would set up a mechanism to address this matter.
However, he said he did not have the exact figure of how many Malaysians currently hold Singapore driving licences.
Since the launch of the Budi95 subsidy on Sept 30, no major hiccups have been reported at petrol stations, although driving licence renewals have increased, from 17,000 a day to 27,000.
The minister also revealed that 878,279 licence holders in Malaysia are non-citizens, who will now have to pay the market rate of RM2.60 per litre.
“Previously, the government was subsidising petrol for nearly 900,000 foreigners.
“With targeted subsidies, only Malaysians will benefit. This would save billions of ringgit annually.”