Now, the Government is OK with dual pump ..
Monday, June 23rd, 2008 | 10:55 pm @ SK
Immediately after the recent fuel price increment, Domestic Trade Minister and Consumer Affairs Shahrir Samad said the ban on the sale of petrol to foreign vehicles at the borders will no longer be necessary.
I’ve never agree with the idiotic act to ban foreigners from filling up the tank, instead, many of us did suggest that the Government should enforce them to pay the full market price, if it’s necessary for them to drive away with our subsidized petrol.
Yesterday, it seems the Government took the heed from the public when it’s announced by the DPM Najib Tun Razak the Government has agreed to implement a dual pump system at fuel stations in border areas to ensure foreigners do not buy fuel at subsidized prices and ironically, according to him, it’s as per suggestion from Shahrir.
Yes, they’re doing the right thing and it’s something that they should have done since the early days, even prior to the fuel price increment.
It’s also right to say that it’s not too late for the Government to impose the said new ruling as to ensure the subsidized petrol will only benefit Malaysians, at least they’ve the guts to rectify the wrong move.
Good one.
However, the aspect which really put me off is the common flip-flop trait which ensuing from every public outburst, in which in the future, we can’t afford or most possibly might prove to be too costly for us to bear the entailed consequence as a result of the same blunt mistake committed by the Government.
It’s time to put a halt to the same old habit, we can’t afford to flip-flop that frequently that in the end of the day, who knows this country might screw up another big time, just like the half-past six bridge, hence you can’t blame the Johor MB Ghani Othman when he appeared to be quite confused and skeptical towards the dual pump system proposed by his own BN’s colleagues.
That speaks a volume on its own, of how volatile the Government’s decision can be.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:28 am
I am equally skeptical. Are we going to see dual pricing pumps in every station? Some stations may see only one or two foreign cars a day or perhaps even none at all. Is this arrangement feasible at all?
June 24th, 2008 at 11:23 am
The flip flop decision is becoming a rule rather than exception these days.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
My bet on the next sequence of events:
1 . Unclear directives causing confusion at all levels
2. Unhappy kiosk operators
3. Confused foreigners (and potshots from their press)
4. Flip flopping comments from the administration
5. The plan is put off
6. The plan is back up again
7. Flip flopping comments from the administration (again)
8. The plan is put off
9. The plan is back up again
10. The plan is put off…
You know the drill. Like KY says, flip flopping is a rule than exception under such administration.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
The dual pump system will only encourage the emergence of a black market for our subsidized petrol. Imagine people who could just hoard the cheaper petrol and selling them for a slightly lower price than the full market price. That’s one way to make more money in these days of rising prices! The Johor MB is right to ask who should patrol the pumps: the police? the stations themselves? It was reported there are more than 300 stations within the 50km radius from the causeway/second link. What more, implementing this in the south will definitely discourage visitors from across the border, leading to even less business in JB and its surroundings, and eventually, bad business all round. Anyway, how much can Singaporean cars top up, given that they already need to have at least 3/4 tank full of petrol before leaving Singapore? The local tourism industry plus a host of others like food, leisure and entertainment — businesses that have been surviving on foreign money — will suffer tremendously. Let’s not be carried away by this mentality that tourists should not enjoy our privileges, unless they have been benefitting so excessively that we ourselves are facing a petrol shortage. In effect, allowing foreign cars to top up is a small price to pay to keep them coming and spending in our country. That should be the bigger fish to catch.