KUALA LUMPUR: Petrol stations nationwide never had it so good.
| Motorists queuing up to fill their tanks at a petrol station at Simpang Empat, Hutan Melintang yesterday. |
There was a mad rush at almost all kiosks as motorists tried to beat the midnight deadline when the new petrol and diesel prices came into effect.
No untoward incidents were reported but voices were raised at several petrol stations in the Klang Valley which suffered temporary power outage due to the heavy thunderstorm yesterday evening.
There were complaints that several petrol station operators had closed for the day after the new prices were announced.
Retired teacher Kaniappan Kaniah was one of the irate motorists who complained that a “rosak” sign was placed on all 10 pumps at a petrol station in Shah Alam last night.
Kaniappan, 62, was on the way to teach a self-defence class in the city and had to fill petrol as his tank was nearly empty.
The retiree from Shah Alam claimed that the petrol station had, during the previous petrol price revision, put the “rosak” sign a few hours before the new petrol price took effect.
“I am quite sure that after midnight, the ‘rosak’ sign will be gone,” he said yesterday.
He left this particular petrol station and went to other kiosks nearby only to find them packed with vehicles.
Fed up, Kaniappan went back home and phoned his student to pick him up.
In Johor Baru, it was no different from anywhere else in Malaysia as motorists made a beeline for petrol stations to fill up yesterday before the fuel price increase.
But if people thought the vehicles would include Singapore-registered ones, they were proven wrong.
Checks showed most of the cars at petrol stations bore Malaysian registration plates.
The rush was such that some petrol station owners went to the extent of rationing the amount of petrol for each vehicle to ensure that everybody got their fair share.
Mohd Khairul Mohd Duan, who operates a Petronas station in Bandar Baru Uda, said Singaporeans would not be too affected by the hike.
“Singaporeans won’t mind paying the higher price. I’ve spoken to them and they tell me that even if fuel prices reach market level, they don’t mind paying because it’s still cheap for them.
“But how are Malaysians going to survive?”
Khairul said station operators like him “gain nothing” from the price increase.
“The result of this is that I now have to spend more than before to buy fuel, which I do at least 25 times a month.”
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