KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar says he has fulfilled his pledge to keep fuel prices in Malaysia lower than in Saudi Arabia.
He said Malaysia's fuel prices are lower than those in oil-producing nations such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
"We should not compare Malaysia with countries that are not oil producers and therefore have much higher fuel prices. We should compare ourselves with Qatar and Saudi Arabia," he said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday(July 14).
"When we previously called for petrol (prices) to be reduced to RM1.50, the price in Saudi Arabia was around RM0.50. Today, our price is around RM1.99, while the price in Saudi Arabia is more than RM2.40. Qatar and even the United Arab Emirates(UAE), raised fuel prices two months ago. The UAE is also a major producer of oil and gas," he said.
"This reflects changing economic realities. Therefore, I once promised Malaysia's fuel prices would be lower than those in Saudi Arabia. It has been fulfilled," he added.
Anwar was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu).
Anwar said although his administration was providing the higher overall assistance than during former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's time, circumstances were differentg then.
"The context must also be taken into account. In terms of overall funding and financial assistance, it is now much higher, I mentioned some of it earlier, including STR and Sara as well as RON95 petrol and Budi Diesel. Overall, the assistance provided is significantly higher than before. That is a fact," he said.
Anwar said he is willing to listen to any suggestions from Rosol on reducing fuel prices.
