‘150L Budi95 quota’ not announcement, not potential gov’t policy, taken out of context – Liew Chin Tong

Deputy finance minister Liew Chin Tong has released a statement on his Facebook page regarding reports attributing the potential reduction of Budi95 subsidy to 150 litres per month to him.

Earlier, New Straits Times reported that the proposed adjustment is based on consumption data, which shows that a majority of Malaysians use significantly less than the current subsidised threshold of 200 litres. That original report has been taken down.

“The data consistently show that 80% of Malaysians use less than 200 litres. The next step is 150 litres [as] 60% of the population uses less than 150 litres,” Liew reportedly said at the Affin Market Outlook 2026: Propelling Malaysia Forward event in KL today, quoted by NST.

Liew has since released a statement to clarify things, attached below.

At a fireside chat at an AFFIN Bank event this morning, I was asked about the government’s strategy to manage the global energy crisis. It’s unfortunate that what I said was taken out of the context. In no instance I announced anything on behalf of the government, and in no instance that I announced the 150 litres limit as potential government policy. I said: 1. The Budi95 mechanism is a good tool as it provides us with data to understand the travel pattern of Malaysians.
2. ⁠The top priority of the government and everyone in the society is to ensure that we have sufficient supply for as long as possible.
3. ⁠As a society, we must ensure that we have petrol supply for the longest of time, and at some point we should build consensus to support the effort to reduce fuel consumption.
4. ⁠I regret that my comments have caused a media storm and I hope all would consider the full context of what I said. Thank you.

On March 26, prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the temporary reduction of Budi95 quota to 200 litres a month effective April 1, at the same subsidised rate of RM1.99 per litre. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said that 90% of RON 95 petrol users will not be affected by the reduced quota.

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