Govt will not reintroduce sale of RON92 petrol: Minister
Published on: Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Kuala Lumpur: The government will not reintroduce the sale of RON92 petrol because the high sulphur level in the fuel can pollute the environment, the Dewan Negara was told Tuesday.Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said there have been many requests for the reintroduction of the fuel to help ease the financial burden of the people but the government retained the use of only RON95 and RON97 because of their lower sulphur levels for the sake of the environment. "The lower the sulphur content, the higher the cost of the fuel. RON92 is cheaper because of the higher sulphur content.
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"However, as a nation bound by the international protocol (pertaining to the environment), we are required to comply with the schedule to move towards the use of fuel containing less sulphur. For now, our policy is to retain RON95 and RON97," he said when winding up debate on the Supply Bill 2019.Saifuddin Nasution said another factor is the development of the country's automotive industry, with the vehicle engines designed to operate on high-quality fuel, at least RON95.He said the country should have progressed towards tougher emission rules, namely Euro 4, in December 2018 but had to defer the measure because oil refineries needed more time to prepare for that.On the 'Kedai Ekonomi Pengguna' (i-KeeP) or fair price shops, formerly known as Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (1Malaysia People's Shops), Saifuddin Nasution said that since Nov 29 more than 300 such premises were cooperating with the ministry to provide competitive prices for consumers.
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He also said that the ministry targeted to have more than 500 such premises by 2020.Meanwhile, Malaysia condemns all forms of oppression against any ethnic or minority group as long as their human rights struggle is based on the law and constitution of the country, Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Datuk Marzuki Yahya told the Dewan Negara Tuesday.
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At the same time, he said Malaysia has always taken a cautious approach in expressing its stand on issues that occur in other countries. "This approach takes into account Malaysia's policy to not interfere with the internal affairs of other countries without reasonable cause. "Referring to what happened to the Uighur ethnic minority in Xinjiang (China), Malaysia has voiced its views and recommendations on the international stage so that China will ensure that the rights and freedom of religion and harmony of its people are protected," he said.He said this when winding up debate on the Supply Bill for his ministry. "During the 45th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Dhaka, Bangladesh in May, Malaysia and other OIC members had requested the OIC secretary-general to hold talks with the Chinese government to voice our views on the issue of the Islamic minority community.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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