KOTA KINABALU: The price of RON95 petrol in Malaysia remains at RM1.99 per litre with government subsidies, even amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, for now, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said that, after Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia has the cheapest fuel prices in the world, even though Brent crude oil prices rose to over US$100 per barrel this week.
He said this low price comes at a cost to the government, which has to absorb the losses and shoulder the additional expenditure.
“How can we pay for the extra cost? That is what we have to think about,” Anwar said when speaking at the launch of National Consumers Day here on Sunday (March 15).
As for the diesel subsidy in Sabah and Sarawak, the policy is still being maintained, he said.
“For our country, so far, we are still holding on. In April we can still manage, but what about May? That is what we need to sit down and discuss,” he said.
Anwar said that amid the ongoing conflict, Malaysia maintains its stand that all acts of violence must cease.
“We are very fortunate that, even as a small country, many major nations such as Saudi Arabia contact us and ask if we can help to mediate or intervene, because we have a stable government and a growing economy,” he said.
On another matter, Anwar said negotiations on state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 were still ongoing, although there were many other developments taking place.
