KUALA LUMPUR: From April 1, action will be taken against owners of foreign-registered vehicles who buy RON95 petrol at petrol stations nationwide, says the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
Its minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (pic) said the move involves introducing new regulations under Section 6 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961 to strengthen control over the distribution of subsidised RON95 petrol.
He added that currently, Regulation 12A only prohibits the sale of RON95, allowing enforcement action to be taken against petrol station operators but not against owners or buyers of foreign vehicle registrations.
“Through the new regulations that we are drafting, the prohibition will apply not only to sales but also to purchases. This means that individuals purchasing or operating foreign-registered vehicles can also be subject to enforcement action,” he told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Armizan said the ministry is engaging with stakeholders, including the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and border security authorities to incorporate the standard operating procedure into their respective systems.
He was responding to Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (BN-Kalabakan), who asked on additional enforcement measures to curb leakage of RON95 subsidies, particularly at petrol stations in border areas of Malaysia.
Armizan said measures including periodic inspections at petrol stations are conducted to strengthen monitoring and enforcement at the retail level.
He said this includes ensuring compliance with the use of MyKad as a verification mechanism and the enforcement of the ban on sales of RON95 petrol to foreign- registered vehicles.
Additional controls include a ban on fuel purchases outside vehicle tanks exceeding 20 litres without a special permit, as well as regular monitoring through logbooks and visit records at petrol stations in border areas.
He said enforcement efforts are also carried out through integrated operations with the police, the Armed Forces, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Customs Department and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) to combat subsidy leakage and smuggling.
“The ministry will continue to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement capabilities to ensure the objectives of RON95 subsidy targeting are achieved, particularly through Ops Tiris and the nationwide collaborative initiative to combat manipulation and leakage, known as Kita Gempur,” he said.
