ENFORCEMENT of the ban on the purchase and sale of RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles will take effect on April 1, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
He said the move was a strengthening of the existing legal framework, which previously only imposed offences on petrol station operators.
"Effective April 1, 2026, this offence will also include drivers or owners of foreign-registered vehicles," he said in a post on his Facebook page reported by Bernama.
Armizan said the enforcement was a follow-up to the decision he presented in Parliament on Jan 29.
He said the enforcement agenda would continue to be strengthened through the implementation of OPS Tiris 4.0 (Integrated) to ensure compliance with regulations and combat smuggling of subsidised fuel, especially in border areas, following the tension in the Middle East conflict.
"I am reminding all parties, whether petrol station operators or foreign motor vehicle consumers, to comply with this ban," he said. Armizan said KPDN would not compromise with any individual, syndicate or operator involved in smuggling or abuse of fuel subsidies.
At the same time, Armizan called on the public to continue to be the eyes and ears of the government by channeling information regarding suspicious activities, in line with the KITA GEMPUR agenda to ensure that the interests of the people continue to be protected and that subsidy leakage can be curbed.
Earlier, Armizan chaired a meeting with the Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to finalise preparations for the enforcement of the extension of the ban on the purchase and sale of RON95 petrol to foreign-registered vehicles.
In a related development, Armizan said the government also guaranteed that the country's supply of necessities would remain sufficient despite the increased costs of logistics and packaging materials due to the conflict in the Middle East.
He said the guarantee was achieved as a result of strengthening cooperation between the government and the retail industry through an engagement session with the Malaysia Retail Association (MRA), which is the main umbrella organisation for players in the sector.
"The main agenda discussed was the issues arising from the Middle East conflict, especially the implications for security of supply and price stability.
"Through strengthening cooperation between the government and the industry, the supply of imported necessities is sufficient despite facing several issues, especially increasing logistics costs and packaging materials," he said. – March 26, 2026
