By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Dec 28: Sarawak Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Department (Sarawak KPDNHEP) has given the assurance that the state will have enough petrol and diesel for all motorists come Jan 1, 2019.
Its director, Datu Stanley Tan, said retail petrol stations could not do as they pleased but have to comply with the terms stipulated in their licences.
“There will be enough supply of petrol and diesel throughout Sarawak.
“Under the Control and Supply Regulations 1974, retail petrol stations must comply with the licencing terms, where they must ensure that the supply of petrol and diesel are available and sufficient at all times for daily sale,” he told DayakDaily today.
Tan said other conditions stated in the licence included the term that licensees cannot close their stations or discontinue the sale of petrol and diesel without KPDNHEP’s permission.
“If the station operators fail to comply with any of the conditions, it is an offence under Regulation 21 of the Control and Supply Regulation 1974 and punishable under Section 22 of the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
“If convicted, an individual can be fined up to RM1 million or three years’ jail or both,” Tan explained.
The federal Finance Ministry recently announced that the retail price of petroleum products, including RON95, would be cheaper from Jan 1, 2019. Its minister, Lim Guan Eng, also announced that the government would be returning to a weekly float for RON95 petrol price starting Jan 1.
After the May 9 general election, the price of RON 95 was fixed at RM2.20 per litre, while that of Euro 2M diesel is RM2.18 and Euro 5 diesel RM2.28.
The price of RON 97 was left to be floated according to market price from June 7, initially adjusting on a weekly basis but later on a monthly basis.
Issues of stations running out of fuel may arise because petrol stations are reluctant to keep storage of excess fuel when prices fluctuate.— DayakDaily
