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Singaporeans who observe rules and wish others would likewise do the same and not "spoil market", are calling out Singaporeans who are not observing the rules in Malaysia and causing a backlash.

A post put up on Facebook on April 4 showed a Singapore-registered car in Johor Bahru pumping government-subsidised Ron95 petrol reserved for Malaysians.

The post's caption included a reminder that foreign-registered vehicles in Malaysia are only allowed to pump costlier Ron97 grade fuel.

The yellow petrol pump handle indicates that the nozzle dispenses Ron95 fuel, and is a standard way of differentiating the different grades of petrol throughout Malaysia.

Another car called out

In the comments section of the post, another photo was uploaded by a commenter to show another Singapore-registered car making use of the yellow nozzle.

The sale of Ron95 petrol to foreigners has been prohibited since August 2010.

Ron95 very cheap

The price difference between Ron95 and Ron97 is huge.

Ron95, sold at RM2.05 (S$0.66) per litre, is almost half the price of Ron97, priced at RM3.91 (S$1.26) per litre and made available to foreigners.

The Malaysian government provides subsidies for fuel to keep prices affordable to effectively lower the cost of living for its country's population that relies on personal transport to get around.

The cost of petrol in Singapore hit S$3, or almost RM10, per litre.

Attention on Ron95 mere days after land borders reopened

Former Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak called out the sale of Ron95 to Singapore cars in a Facebook post on April 3 -- the third day land borders reopened between Singapore and Malaysia.

He wrote that the Malaysia government is losing money each time a foreign-registered vehicle pumps Ron95 -- to a tune of RM68 (S$21.90) per 40-litre tank filled by a foreign-registered vehicle.

JB petrol kiosks busy

Separately, Shin Min Daily News reported that some 500 Singapore-registered cars turned up at just one popular petrol kiosk in Johor Bahru within a day on April 2 to pump petrol.

Some 300 Singapore-registered vehicles were estimated to have made a stop at the same kiosk on April 3.

This total was significantly lower, but was attributed to the rain that day, which prevented more people from venturing up north from Singapore to make a day trip.

Despite the supposed lull, the Shin Min reporter observed some 40 Singapore-registered cars in the kiosk pumping petrol over a half hour period from 4pm on April 3.

Three-quarter tank rule actively enforced

Singapore vehicles travelling into Malaysia are to abide by the three-quarter tank rule.

This is to limit the amount of fuel Singapore-registered vehicles can load up in Malaysia.

CNA reported that a total of 55 vehicles were turned away at the land checkpoints as of 8pm on Sunday, April 3 since the Singapore-Malaysia land borders reopened on Friday, April 1.

Reactions

Reactions to the post calling out the Singapore-registered car were mixed.

Those who felt it was permissible to pump Ron95 petrol said the practice was not stopped by the pump operators, which are enjoying brisk business.

They also argued that Singaporeans who pump cheap petrol do stimulate the economy in other ways, such as via shopping.

However, those who oppose the practice of pumping Ron95 fuel slammed the exploitative mindset of Singaporeans who want to take advantage of subsidised fuel not meant for them, and giving Singaporeans a bad name.

They also highlighted that the rule to prohibit foreign-registered vehicles from pumping Ron95 fuel has been in place for more than 10 years.

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