Malaysians & Singaporeans approve arrest of driver of SG-registered car who bought RON95 in JB

JOHOR BAHRU: It only took 10 days for a foreigner in Malaysia to break the new law concerning pumping RON95 fuel, which is heavily subsidised and which only Malaysians are allowed to purchase. On April 10, a man in his 50s who helped himself to the fuel became the first person to be arrested under the new law.

“Observations found that a Singapore-registered vehicle was refuelling RON95 petrol into its tank. Acting on the information and observation, enforcement officers detained the driver from continuing to refuel RON95 petrol,” said Johor Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Lilis Saslinda Pornomo. 

The driver was detained to assist in investigations, and his Honda Civic, CCTV recordings, copies of the purchase receipt, and related documents were all seized.

He is now facing serious consequences, including a maximum of three years’ jail, a fine of RM1 million (S$322,000), or both. The fines for repeat offenders and for companies are even higher.

Previously, while Malaysian law explicitly prohibited the sale of RON95 fuel, the law only allowed 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. 

In January, it was announced that new regulations were being drafted to penalise the drivers of foreign-registered vehicles who buy RON95 fuel.  

What netizens are saying

News of the arrest was greeted with approval from Malaysians, some of whom said that it was high time.

Some cheered the police on, while others congratulated the KPDN for having caught the man. 

“Finally, we are doing something about this shameless epidemic,” wrote a user on r/Malaysia.

Singaporeans had a positive response to the arrest as well.

“Good… please impound all cars breaking the law and fine them heavily. If they cannot respect the law in another country, punish them. As a Singaporean, I fully support,” a Facebook user wrote.

“The car should be confiscated, similar to how LTA handles Malaysia’s illegal taxi operations in Singapore,” wrote another.

“Seize and confiscate the car. Set a benchmark so all will know not to try their luck,” a commenter suggested.

Others pointed out that the endeavour to buy cheap fuel will end up as a very expensive one indeed. 

“The driver asked for a fine of up to RM1 million (US$252,200) to pump cheap petrol. Well done,” one pointed out. /TISG

Read also: Man driving SG-registered car caught pumping RON95 fuel days before it becomes illegal on 1 April