Foreign drivers who pump RON95 in Malaysia may face penalties from April 1

KUALA LUMPUR: New regulations are being drafted to penalise the drivers of foreign-registered vehicles who buy RON95 fuel in Malaysia. This type of fuel is heavily subsidised by the government, and only Malaysian citizens are allowed to avail of it. However, this has not stopped foreigners, especially some Singaporeans, from attempting to purchase RON95 petrol.

The regulations are being drafted by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), reported Bernama on Wednesday (Jan 28).

According to Armizan Mohd Ali, who heads the ministry, the regulations will strengthen control over the distribution of RON95.

The new regulations are scheduled to begin implementation on April 1.

At present, Malaysian law explicitly prohibits the sale of RON95 fuel, which allows enforcement against the operators of fuel stations, but not against the owners or buyers of vehicles registered in other countries.

This has long been a contentious issue for some, who have felt that the law was unfair toward the Malaysian operators of petrol stations, who face hefty fines of as much as RM3 million (S$965,000) or even jail time for repeat offences.

Mr Armizan said in Parliament on Jan 28, “Through the new regulations that we are drafting, the prohibition will apply not only to sales but also to purchases. This means that individuals who buy, own, or drive foreign-registered vehicles can also be subject to enforcement action.”

Another MP had raised the issue of penalties for foreigners buying RON95 fuel, especially at border areas.

Mr Armizan also said that there will also be periodic inspections at fuel stations to ensure the compliance and enforcement of the ban on sales to foreign-registered vehicles

“We are also exploring the use of advanced technology to enable more comprehensive monitoring and enforcement, ensuring essential goods reach interior and remote areas,” he added.

Read related: ‘Don’t embarrass yourselves’: Singapore car caught (again) pumping subsidised RON95 in Malaysia

Earlier this month, an MP from Johor proposed that foreign vehicles that avail of RON95 fuel be blacklisted and disallowed from coming into Malaysia for two years.

The MP specifically referred to an incident on Jan 3 when a Malaysian man who is a permanent resident in Singapore altered his vehicle’s number plate to make it look like it was locally registered. He did this in order to avail of RON95 fuel.

After the incident was recorded online and went viral, the man and his wife turned themselves in to the authorities in Johor. He was given a fine of RM9,000 (S$2,850) due to the number plate he had tampered.

The man could not be penalised for buying RON95 fuel, however.

“There are people willing to do things like this for the sake of pumping our RON95 petrol. In truth, even our RON97 is considered cheap for vehicles from Singapore,” World of Buzz quoted the MP, Jimmy Puah, as saying. /TISG

Read related: M’sia stepping up monitoring to prevent Singaporeans from illegally pumping subsidised RON95 petrol