JOHOR BAHRU: The Chief Minister of Johor, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, together with other top officials of the state, has gone around in person to various fuel stations. They are doing so to ensure that the sale of RON95 petrol, which is substantially subsidised by the government, is in compliance with the law and is not abused by foreign-registered vehicles.
They may buy the more expensive RON97 instead. Some drivers, however, including some Singaporeans, have been caught buying subsidised petrol.
In a social media post on Friday (April 4), the Chief Minister said he went to the fuel stations with Lee Ting Han, Johor Bahru’s Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chair, as well as enforcement officers from the Johor branch of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDN).
“We conducted these inspections to verify that RON95 fuel is sold exclusively to Malaysian citizens, as per the regulations. Our checks also ensured that the price did not exceed the ceiling of RM2.05 (S$0.62) per litre,” he said.
Mr Onn Hafiz added that the team also checked that the diesel filling limit of 20 litres for foreign vehicles within a radius of 50 kilometres from the border was also complied with.
“The State Government of Johor, in cooperation with the Federal Government, is committed to ensuring that this fuel subsidy is only enjoyed by the People of Johor and the citizens of Malaysia,” he wrote, adding that “strict” action would be taken against anyone who tries to take advantage by selling RON95 to a foreign vehicle or raising the price above the set rate.
“Any disobedience that affects the rights of the people will not be compromised,” he wrote.
The Chief Minister also asked in his post for people to help play a part in ensuring transparency in the distribution of subsidised petrol. The public may channel complaints through the KPDN e-Complaint Portal if they witness abuses or violations of rules.
“Every complaint will be investigated, and action will be taken accordingly,” Mr Onn Hafiz assured the public, adding, “This effort will continue consistently to protect the rights of the citizens and ensure the subsidies reach those who truly deserve it. Hopefully, this step can curb the subsidies drop and give the people the benefits they deserve.”
Concerns have been raised for some years now, however, due to perceived unfairness. While the owners of petrol stations may be fined as much as RM1 million (S$305,000) or be sent to jail for as long as three years for selling subsidised fuel to foreigners, there is no corresponding punishment for foreigners who get caught buying RON95 fuel.
Some have called for the government to introduce laws that specifically penalise foreigners who buy the subsidised fuel, arguing that as long as there are no real penalties, the problem will continue.
“As long as the buyers are not penalised, they will always keep trying,” said Gordon Lim, the Petrol Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) communication and media secretary, earlier this year.
The responses to Mr Onn Hafiz’s post have been mixed, with numerous people expressing support for the Chief Minister’s efforts, noting that he went out of his way to conduct personal inspections. Others, however, echoed the call for fines to be imposed on foreigners who buy subsidised fuel, saying they should at least be made to pay the most expensive fuel price in Malaysia, RON100, when they get RON95. RON100 is RM5.00 (S$1.50) per litre, which is more than twice as expensive as RON95. Fuel prices in Singapore, meanwhile, are even more expensive, ranging from S$2.76 to S$3.44.
The featured image above is from Depositphotos and is for illustration purposes only. /TISG