Fuel ruling won’t hurt Johor but hurt Malaysian?
Posted By Saimatkong on Jun 4, 2008 | 0 comments
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If you are the one who all the while taking advantage of Malaysia’s Fuel price and you come from Singapore to fill full tank, now you would not be able to do it again. It’s a wise move and we (Malaysian) wouldn’t want other non Malaysia citizen take advantage of the fuel subsidy loop hole. This way we could prevent money out flow and hopefully it could sustain long and the petrol / fuel price will not increase in any time soon!
JOHOR BARU: The new ruling to ban the sale of petrol to foreign-registered vehicles within a 50km radius of the border will not hurt the state’s tourism industry.
“I believe the state has other attractions for foreigners and this new ruling will not hamper them from coming in,” said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.
“Our neighbouring country had imposed the ruling that cars going in and out must have a full tank. It did not disrupt their entry into Johor,” he told pressmen after launching the Aero mall at the Senai International Airport here yesterday.
Abdul Ghani said the state government supported the new ruling as it was time to reduce the cost of subsidy and ensure only Malaysians who deserve the subsidy get it.
Regular patrons: Singapore-registered vehicles make up the bulk of customers at this petrol station in Johor Baru.However, Singaporeans who frequent this city were stunned. Many said it would result in them visiting the country less frequently.
Investment banker Shahul Mohamed, 34, said the decision would have far-reaching implications for both Johoreans and Singaporeans alike.
“I was going to buy my second home here but now I will have to reconsider the decision as the scenario has completely changed,” he said when met at a petrol station here yesterday.
Shahul pointed out that on average, he noticed some 30,000 to 50,000 foreign-registered vehicles on a daily basis here.
“I think the plan to remove petrol subsidies for foreigners is a great idea but this will cause losses for everyone,” he said.
Engineer Gabriel Tan, 28, said the move would badly affect petrol stations which depended on Singaporean clientele.
“What is the use of coming into Malaysia now for us? I will definitely not come in as often,” he said.
A petrol station owner, who only wanted to be identified as Chong, said he expected to lose up to 85% of his current business volume.
“This is very bad news for us. If we cannot survive, we will be forced to close the station,” he said.
Cashiers and pump attendants at several petrol stations also said that they had been fielding queries all day from Singaporeans who wanted to know if the ruling was true.
Malaysian Darryl Chong, 32, an engineer who works in Singapore and drives a Singapore-registered vehicle, said the move would be unfair to people like him who drive into the island on a daily basis for work.
“The ruling has not clarified our position so far,” he said, suggesting that in such cases, Malaysians should be allowed to buy petrol by showing their MyKad as proof of their nationality.
Meanwhile, state Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hoo Seong Chang said it was too early to tell if the move would lead to a large-scale reduction in Singaporean visitors.
“We will support the Government’s policy and look for ways to balance the impact this decision may have,” he said.
