They are even trying to impose a rule where they will not allow any foreign cars with more than 20litre of petrol in their tanks to leave the borders.
Isn’t this great that now there is a perfectly legitimate reason to tell your teacher (or your boss) that you can’t come to school (or the office) because you’re being held up in another country.
Anyway the main reason that this rule went into their heads is to curb the petrol smuggling, where petrol is heavily subsidised by the Malaysian government.
Though I find the idea of going all the way up there just to fill up my tanks as sort of a lost cause (going there and coming back takes time and uses up petrol at the same time), I wonder just what the ‘lawmakers’ there, or whoever it is that came up with this idea, were thinking of.
The Sun reveals a bit more about the petrol issue, while the Malaysian Insider gave up more inside information, like how the Malaysian Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operative and Consumerism Affairs feels that the proposed move probably won’t eradicate the root of the problem, but rather minimise it.
Though I’m not affected by the proposed ruling, I do feel compelled to mention the myopic vision of it all.
If foreign vehicles come in and PAY to fill up on petrol, isn’t that still commerce for the nation?
And lets not forget that most foreigners don’t just go there for petrol — they shop, they eat, and they get themselves entertained, like going to Redbox Karaoke to sing and eat at the same time.
I secretly wonder (but not a secret anymore if it’s revealed eh???) if there’s more to it than meets the eye, like why not remove the intensive subsidy instead — this surely WILL eradicate the problem.
“Removing subsidy will definitely solve the petrol smuggling issue, but backlash and outcry from the public will be inevitable, but we can manage by providing free meals at pump station instead.” the Minister did not actually say at all.
Heh, at least it would have solved the smuggling problem eh?
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