‘Vehicle plate, not nationality’: Official says foreigners can still pump RON95

PETALING JAYA – People should not simply make videos and accuse stations of selling subsidi­sed petrol to foreigners, said the Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia.

The association’s president, Datuk Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz, said foreigners and permanent residents without MyKad are still allowed to buy unsubsidised RON95 petrol, provided they are using locally-registered vehicles.

“It is the vehicle plate, not the nationality,” he said on April 29.

Mr Khairul Annuar also welcomed the latest amendment under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, saying that this places responsibility on drivers of foreign-registered vehicles, who deliberately abuse the subsidy system, instead of penalising just station operators.

“This marks an important step towards a more balanced and fair enforcement framework,” he said.

A petrol kiosk operator, who declined to be named, admitted that he had to deal with viral videos when foreign workers filled their motorcycles with RON95 fuel.

“When a foreigner fills RON95 at the kiosk, people start recording videos and taking photos, and even mentioning the station’s location. Then it goes viral. They do this without even checking if the vehicle carries a foreign registration plate or not,” he said.

The operator said his workers were already under pressure having to look out for foreign-registered vehicles, and such false viral videos do not help.

“When the videos go up, we get questioned by the authorities for no reason,” he added.

Bangladeshi construction worker Ameen Habeeb Khan goes to work on a motorcycle lent to him by his employer.

For the last few months, he has been bothered by strange stares whenever he fills up his motorbike at the petrol station.

People think he does not have the right to buy RON95 petrol.

Many onlookers are filming people like him and making their footage viral on social media.

However, Mr Khan is allowed to buy the petrol, but at an unsub­sidised price.

“People look at me like I am doing something wrong. My salary is not much, and I have to send money back home to support my family. My boss lends me a motor­cycle to go to work. I certainly cannot afford RON97,” said the 35-year-old in an interview.

Like many foreigners working in Malaysia, Mr Ameen does not have a MyKad and is not eligible for the targeted BUDI95 subsidy price of RM1.99 (64 Singapore cents) a litre.

However, he is legally allowed to buy unsubsidised RON95 as long as he uses a vehicle with a local registration plate.

Vehicles with foreign registration numbers have to buy RON97 fuel under regulations introduced on April 1 through amendments under the Control of Supplies Act.

Indonesian cleaner Ayu Deli­mawati Samadi, 23, claims she was denied outright at one petrol station.

The Yogyakarta native, who also uses her employer’s motor­cycle, said she was trying to fill up with RON95 when she was told that she had to use the more expensive RON97.

“I had to leave and fill up at another petrol station,” she said.

Ms Ayu said many foreigners now feel anxious about filling up for fear that they may be recorded by strangers and accused online of abusing fuel subsidies.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK