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JOHOR BARU - JOHOR'S Menteri Besar wants to know whether new petrol stations must be built to service foreign vehicles at the border areas, and who would be monitoring the stations to ensure foreigners would not get subsidised petrol.
Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman raised his queries after Domestic Trade Minister Shahrir Samad suggested having a dual pump system near border towns to prevent foreigners from buying subsidised fuel.
Malaysia this month raised petrol prices by 41 per cent and diesel prices by 63 per cent, but the pump prices are still below international market rates.
To prevent Singaporeans and Thais from buying subsidised petrol, Datuk Shahrir suggested that a two-pump system be installed in stations near the border areas.
But Mr Abdul Ghani said the system should be thought through before it is implemented. 'There are several questions which need to be answered, for example, the locations of the petrol stations,' he said.
Officials have indicated that some 500 petrol kiosks located between 30km and 50km from the Singapore and Thai borders would be affected.
Mr Abdul Ghani asked: 'Does it mean we must build new ones (kiosks)? This is because previously, it was suggested that petrol stations within a 50km radius from the border not be allowed to sell subsidised fuel to foreign-registered vehicles.
'And who is going to monitor who buys fuel at which pump, now that we have two sets of pumps? What are the penalties if the rule is flouted?'
In Sabah, rumours of petrol kiosks closing down for three days led to panic buying by motorists.
Most petrol kiosks and roads approaching them were jammed. The jams were as long as 2km on some stretches of road.
Several petrol kiosks also ran out of supplies.
There was no let-up in the panic buying despite assurances from Mr Shahrir, who said that 'Petronas will open its operation as usual and it can meet the needs of the people there'.
Officials from Shell Malaysia and the Sabah Petroleum Dealers' Association also urged people not to resort to panic buying.
BERNAMA, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS
'Does it mean we must build new ones (kiosks)? And who is going to monitor who buys fuel at which pump, now that we have two sets of pumps? What are the penalties if the rule is flouted?'
DATUK ABDUL GHANI
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