THE Sarawak government has clarified that it had not purchased three hydrogen-fuelled Toyota Mirai sedans for use by the state’s three deputy premiers. 

Premier Abang Johari Openg, in a statement, said the cars were “UMW gifts to the government to promote green energy as Sarawak is a prime promoter in green energy” when responding to Parti Bumi Kenyalang president Voon Lee Shan to justify the purchase. 

UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of the UMW Group, has been involved in the assembly, marketing, and exclusive distribution of Toyota vehicles in Malaysia. 

Abang Johari said the state was given the cars as Sarawak is the only state with a hydrogen-fuelling facility. 

Voon had earlier accused the state of disregarding Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s drive to cut unnecessary spending when he said the Sarawak government should follow what the prime minister wanted. 

He added that as the “high-tech hydrogen-powered” cars were not cheap and their maintenance could be high, the state should justify their necessity to taxpayers. 

At the sedan’s handing over last Wednesday, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Abdul Aziz Hussein had told reporters the three cars were meant for the federal government. 

But since there were no hydrogen filling stations in the peninsula, the cars were shipped to Sarawak. 

There are only five such cars in the country, all of them in Sarawak. 

One is for use by Abang Johari. 

UMW Toyota Motor delivered all five units to SEDC Energy, the hydrogen-producing subsidiary of the SEDC. – March 24, 2023.