Anwar Says Petrol Pledge Fulfilled, Points to Saudi Price Gap

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declared his petrol price pledge fulfilled on 14 JULY, telling the Dewan Rakyat that Malaysia’s RON95 price is now cheaper than in oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Anwar was responding to Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu), who challenged the government during Prime Minister’s Question Time on whether Malaysia, as an oil-producing nation, should be benchmarking its fuel prices against non-oil producers.

According to Bernama, Anwar said the subsidised RON95 price under the BUDI MADANI initiative stands at RM1.99 per litre, compared with over RM2.40 per litre in Saudi Arabia. He noted that when he previously called for petrol price reductions while in opposition, Saudi Arabia’s price was around 50 sen per litre.

“This is a fact. You can spin it how you want but the fact remains that our petrol price is cheaper,” Anwar said, as reported by NST. He added that the United Arab Emirates, a major oil and gas producer, also raised its fuel prices two months ago.

Anwar said the government’s total assistance this year, covering the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA), had been increased to RM15 billion, benefiting over nine million recipients. He told Rosol that the overall support provided under the current administration was far higher than under previous governments.

“We have a mandate until the election; when the time comes, we contest again. No problem,” Anwar said, adding that both sides should not be overconfident because “we place tawakkal upon Allah.”