#RON95: Malaysians express their views on social media

Immediately after the government announced it will remove all subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel beginning Dec 1, netizens took to social media to express their views over the matter.

Some were positive while others, not so - but there were some suggestions provided.

What is clear from the numerous posts, is that the majority of the people are unsure about how the new mechanism will work, and how it will affect them.

Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, took to Twitterville, explaining to his followers the rationale behind the government's move in removing the subsidies.

He also took a step further by outlining the new mechanism to be implemented on the price of oil.

Pengapungan terkawal RON95 & diesel bermaksud harga runcit ditentukan oleh harga purata pasaran minyak mentah selama sebulan.
— Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) November 21, 2014

If the market price of crude oil continues downward trend, very possible RON95 price will be lower in Dec 1.
— Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) November 21, 2014

#RON95 went viral on Twitter and Instagram, with positive and negative remarks alike.

#Ron95 price to be floated in #Malaysia. Good in the short term but high price awaits.#endofsubsidy #costofliving http://t.co/LsWgPlH6kz
— Nafis Alam (@nafisalam) November 21, 2014

I think some taking advantage and put blame on govt when price went up behind #RON95 whatever price. Lepas ni nak pakai alasan apa?
— Oscar-Delta-Sierra (@ondstreet) November 21, 2014

In the end orang nak harga petrol murah. Regardless of the mechanism. Apung, terkawal, subsidi dok kisah asalkan murah. Kesan minde subsidee
— Shahmat D. Fallasic (@sicfallacy) November 21, 2014

Meanwhile, Andy Lee predicted that it would be a tough year for middle-income earners.

No subsidy for RON95 & diesel. GST next yr. 2015 is going to be a challenging year for the middle income rakyat. #RON95
— Andy Lee (@ND_Lee) November 21, 2014

Some however feel the new mechanism is being implemented without a thorough study.

Subsidi sama je dengan BR1M. Once it stopped, orang akan amuk juga lah. Tanpa memikirkan kebaikan/mekanisme logik pelaksanaannya.
— Baby Monster! (@TedWrites) November 21, 2014

Some even predicted that the price of RON95 petrol would go down soon.

CHEAP RON95 COMING!! pic.twitter.com/QLXOyJAdxP
— ariff.alyahya (@ariffalyahya77) November 21, 2014

The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Hasan Malek today announced that the government will remove all subsidies for RON95 petrol and diesel beginning Dec 1.

The price of both fuel will then be fixed according to a Managed Float system as opposed to the Automatic Price Mechanism (APM) method being used currently.

From the reactions above, it is clear that Malaysians are still unsure on how the Managed Float mechanism works, and more importantly how the removal of fuel subsidies will affect them directly or indirectly.

Let us know your comments or suggestions on our Facebook page or Twitter at @501awani.