[Watch] Cheaper Diesel, If You Can Get It — One Man Couldn’t, After Station Staff Admitted The Supply Went To Account Holders First
The government announced a 75 sen drop in diesel prices to RM5.97 per litre effective 16 April — but the news landed against the backdrop of a viral video showing a driver’s furious confrontation with petrol station staff after the last of the diesel went to a lorry with a station account instead.
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The government announced this evening (15 April) that diesel prices would fall by 75 sen to RM5.97 per litre from Thursday (16 April) — welcome news on paper, but meaningless to drivers who have been turning up to petrol stations only to find the pumps already dry.
Some video clips circulating on social media this week captured the frustration: a driver, visibly angry, after arriving at a petrol station in Juru, Penang, to find that diesel had run out by the time it was his turn.
A lorry ahead of him had just filled up.
He left with nothing — but not before letting the station staff hear exactly how he felt.
A staff member tells him the diesel has simply run out, taken by the last vehicle he had just watched pull away from the pump.
It is only when a second staff member, appearing to be of higher rank, steps in that the fuller picture emerges: the lorry had been prioritised because it holds an account with the station.
He demanded the station show some decency and sell him 100 litres of diesel or so, threatening to report the matter to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) if they refused — seemingly to no avail.
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The Law Says One Thing, The Pump Says Another
The comments told the fuller story — some noted he had come the day before only to be beaten to the queue then too, while others pointed out that stock availability depends entirely on when the supply truck last arrived.
The scene is not isolated, with diesel shortages at the pump level becoming a recurring complaint in recent weeks, even as the government maintains that overall national supply remains stable.
Under the Control of Supplies Act 1961, petrol and diesel are classified as controlled goods, and operators are legally obligated to ensure sufficient supply to the public — deliberately withholding fuel or refusing to sell is a serious offence.
Whether that threshold was crossed here is a matter for the authorities.
But by his account, the diesel did not run out before he arrived — it ran out for him, after the station chose who got it first.
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Prices Down, Supply Less Certain
The Ministry of Finance said the latest price reduction follows the Automatic Pricing Mechanism, which adjusts retail fuel prices weekly in line with international market movements.
RON97 dropped 25 sen to RM5.10 per litre, while RON95 fell 25 sen to RM4.02.
Subsidised RON95 through the Budi95 programme remains at RM1.99 per litre.
The ministry also noted that the government is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, where the ongoing conflict continues to create uncertainty in global supply chains.
For now, the price at the pump may be heading down.
Whether there is actually fuel in the pump when you get there is a different question entirely — some pumps run dry, and some are just dry for you.
The images are used for illustration. Petrol stations operating under fuel brand franchises are independently owned and operated — the conduct of a station operator does not reflect the policy of the fuel brand.
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