PETALING JAYA: When James Wong went for his weekly refuel at his neighbourhood petrol station, he was in for a shock.
The 32-year-old copywriter who usually pumps about RM40 worth of subsidised RON95 fuel at a time was shocked at the prices shown at the pump, which was more than double what he was used to seeing.
“I thought I made a mistake when refuelling through the app.
“I usually pump about RM40 weekly and the price at the pump will show about RM50 as this is the unsubsidised price.
“This time, the price was at about RM65. Only when I printed the receipt, did I realise how much I was saving through the government subsidies,” he said.
Wong was one of the many motorists met here who described both shock and relief at how much pump prices had gone up following developments in the Middle East which resulted in fuel prices skyrocketing.
The retail fuel prices for the period from March 12 to March 18 are as follows – RON97: RM3.85 per litre; RON95 (without subsidy): RM3.27 per litre; and diesel: RM3.92 per litre.
Administrative executive Nur Aisyah Abdullah, 29, initially thought the petrol pump had malfunctioned when the amount displayed was far higher than usual.
“I normally fill up around RM30 to RM40 each week. When the amount went up higher than usual, I thought I had refilled the wrong amount as I usually do using the app.
“After checking the receipt, I realised the higher prices were for the unsubsidised RON95 petrol,” she said.
A marketing executive who wanted to be known only as Thanesh even sought the help of a pump attendant to check if the prices were accurate.
“I usually tap my card to make payments at the pump terminal.
“I immediately asked the attendant for clarification as I figured either the pump was malfunctioning or that I inserted the wrong amount.
“He informed me about the prices and that’s when it hit how much the conflict in the Middle East affects us too,” said the 36-year-old.
Retiree Hakim Abdullah, 71, was similarly taken aback although he paid for his petrol using cash.
“It’s good that the government is working to ensure petrol remains affordable and accessible for us Malaysians,” he said.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the price of RON95 petrol under the Budi95 targeted fuel subsidy mechanism will remain at RM1.99 per litre despite its market price rising.
Anwar said this was decided following the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister also said checks with PETRONAS found that Malaysia had enough petroleum to weather the country through economic certainty until May this year.
