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New Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Fuziah: Op Gasak had 'communication issue'
KUALA LUMPUR: Op Gasak was intended to target activities involving the decanting of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into non-subsidised containers. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Deputy Minister Fuziah Salleh said the enforcement, however, was not communicated effectively. "Targeting decanting was the initial move, where subsidised LPG was transferred into non-subsidised containers. "But somehow, there was a communication issue," she told reporters after the BBC's World Questions debate held in Petaling Jaya tonight where she was among four panellists. Fuziah said that the government is now collecting data and engaging with multiple stakeholders before bringing feedback to the Cabinet in order to make amendments to the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. "This would allow the micro businesses to have more than three canisters of LPG gas cylinders. "Before this it was three and you would have to have a special permit to have more than that. "Now that rule no longer applies (to micro businesses)." Fuziah was responding to criticism that the Op Gasak campaign was poorly communicated and rushed. She said that this is why the Cabinet, in light of the feedback received, agreed to allow micro and small-scale food and retail businesses to continue using LPG cylinders without a Scheduled Controlled Goods Permit (PBKB) until October. Op Gasak, which runs from May 1 to Oct 31, aims to curb illegal activities such as gas decanting (transferring gas from subsidised to non-subsidised cylinders), smuggling, and the misuse of subsidised LPG by medium and large-scale industrial sectors.
The Star
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Dr Wee: Do your homework first
KUALA LUMPUR: Amending the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Act 2021 (Act 122) was never about regulating the use of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), said Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic). The MCA president, who referred to parliamentary hansards in 2021, said the amendments only gave wider enforcement powers to Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry officers. Dr Wee also said the amendments were debated by numerous MPs from both sides of the political divide before it was passed in Parliament in March 2022. 'Not a single MP mentioned the permit for three subsidised LPG gas cylinders or the use of commercial LPG for restaurants,' said Dr Wee in a video posted on Facebook on Sunday. Dr Wee said when then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi was giving a Parliament reply in March 2022, he never mentioned the regulation on subsidised gas cylinders. 'Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, you were not at the Dewan Rakyat then, but you could have checked the Hansard. Do your homework before accusing me,' Dr Wee said. Armizan, the current Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, had claimed that the law behind the enforcement, where eateries are required to use 14kg commercial LPG cylinders, was passed when Dr Wee was in the Cabinet in 2021. 'Maybe the regulation on the use of cooking gas in a subsidised gas cylinder not exceeding 42kg was an internal ministerial order, or an instruction from the administration,' added Dr Wee. Dr Wee said the law behind the enforcement where eateries are required to use 14kg commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was introduced since the 2000s, but it was never enforced until the first Pakatan Harapan government in 2019. 'In early 2019, the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister issued orders making it compulsory for restaurants, coffee shops and hawkers to use commercial LPG. 'But Chong Chieng Jen, who was the deputy minister, announced the postponement of that policy following public concerns over price hikes on food. He said food and beverages (F&B) operators are allowed to use subsidised LPG,' said Dr Wee. 'And now, they are trying to enforce it again under the Madani government in 2025.' He also demanded an apology from Armizan. 'You should apologise to me for your carelessness. As the spokesman of the people, I should have not been sacrificed,' he said. Meanwhile, Armizan shot back at Dr Wee, saying he was talking about the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021 during a press conference on June 5 and not the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Act 2021 which the MCA president was referring to. 'It is surely impossible to find the legal provisions that I was referring to because as I mentioned A, he was referring to Z,' said Armizan in a statement on Facebook yesterday. Previously, Armizan had said Ops Gasak is being carried out under three existing laws – the Control of Supplies Act 1961, the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. Armizan had also said that the regulation was enforced during the previous administration in 2021, of which Dr Wee had served as a Cabinet Minister. Yesterday, Dr Wee had said though he served as a Cabinet Minister in 2021, he has never been involved in approving such regulations. On Thursday, Armizan had said that small and micro-scale F&B operators will be exempted from enforcement under the ongoing Ops Gasak Armizan said the Cabinet agreed to review the regulations on the use of subsidised LPG cylinders by such traders, after recommendations submitted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry. Ops Gasak, which began on May 1 and will run until Oct 31, is meant to curb illegal activities such as decanting (transferring gas from subsidised LPG cylinders to non-subsidised ones), smuggling and the misuse of subsidised LPG by medium and large-scale industrial sectors. Dr Wee had said Ops Gasak should have focused on large-scale operations and at the borders, and not on petty traders and hawkers. The crux of the issue, he said, is the smuggling activities at the borders and abuse of targeted subsidies. The Petaling Jaya Coffeeshop Association has also said a switch to commercial LPG by hawkers could lead to consumers paying higher food prices.
New Straits Times
08-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Make sure you've done your research before pointing fingers, Wee tells Armizan
KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has called on Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali to provide evidence supporting his claim that Wee was involved in approving the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. In a video posted on Facebook today, Wee strongly refuted Armizan's statement and demanded proof for the allegation. "I have reviewed the parliamentary Hansard and the relevant bill to confirm which section mentions that a permit is required for using more than three cylinders of subsidised gas. "Furthermore, are food and beverage businesses actually prohibited from using subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)?" he asked. Previously, the media reported that Armizan had reminded Wee to review the regulations that were enacted when the former transport minister was in the cabinet. Armizan was quoted as saying that the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021 — which stipulate that any party using more than 42kg of LPG is required to apply for a Scheduled Controlled Goods Permit — had already been enforced since Oct 15, 2021, under the previous administration when Wee was a member of the cabinet. Wee demanded that Armizan issue an apology for alleging his involvement in approving regulations related to supply control while he was in the cabinet in 2021. The Ayer Hitam member of parliament said that based on a review of the 2021 parliamentary Hansard, the amendment at the time was solely aimed at granting broader enforcement powers to officers of the then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry. He said the amendment to the Control of Supplies Act (Amendment) 2021 was never intended to regulate the use of subsidised LPG. "I reviewed every line in the Hansard of the Dewan Rakyat during the debate, where MPs from constituencies such as Jempol, Bayan Baru, Pasir Gudang, Jelutong, Kota Melaka, Bukit Bendera, Pokok Sena, and Sepang presented their arguments. "However, not a single MP at the time raised the issue of requiring a permit for three cylinders of subsidised LPG, nor did anyone discuss the commercial use of LPG by food outlets," he said. He said then Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, in his reply in parliament in March 2022, also made no mention of any regulation concerning subsidised gas cylinders. "Datuk Armizan, why fabricate stories and make baseless accusations against me? "You weren't even in the Dewan Rakyat at the time, but you can always check the Hansard. "Do your homework before accusing me. "You're being unfair to me, you know? Or at the very least, just call Nanta to get confirmation. "Surely you have his phone number? If not, I can give it to you," he said. Wee said Armizan should not have accused him of being involved in the amendment related to the requirement for storing more than three cylinders of subsidised LPG and questioned the accuracy of the minister's source of information. He said the regulation concerning the use of subsidised LPG cylinders not exceeding 42kg might merely be an internal directive or administrative instruction from the ministry, and not part of the 2021 amendment. Wee said the law was never enforced until it was first implemented under the Pakatan Harapan 1.0 administration in 2019, before being revived again through Op Gasak this year. He said Armizan should issue an apology for the confusion and the allegations made against him. "You (Armizan) owe me an apology for your mistake.
The Star
08-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
I mentioned 'A' but Dr Wee referred to 'Z', says Armizan
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali. – Bernama PETALING JAYA: Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali says he was referring to another law which differs from what MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong quoted earlier on Sunday (June 8). In the war of words between the two, Armizan said in his press conference on June 5, he clearly stated that his ministry was enforcing Ops Gasak under the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021 to combat the smuggling of subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), among others. "The MCA president was referring to the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Act 2021. "It is of course impossible to find the legal provisions I was referring to because I mentioned 'A' but he was referring to 'Z'," he said in a Facebook post. Armizan said in 2021, the then-domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry drafted amendments to the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. "It was enforced on Oct 15, 2021, and at the same time, gazetted for public access," he said. Armizan said he was unfazed by Dr Wee accusing him as a liar but urged him not to confuse the people by quoting another law. Armizan also addressed Dr Wee's comments that he is a greenhorn MP, saying that even with lesser experience, he still respects the legal process. He had previously said this regulation was enforced during the former administration when Dr Wee served as a minister. Previously, Armizan had said Ops Gasak is being carried out under three existing laws – the Control of Supplies Act 1961, the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 and the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021. Earlier on Sunday, Dr Wee had said though he served as a minister in 2021, he was never involved in approving such regulations. "The government has the discretion to decide whether or not to enforce such policies," said Dr Wee. The Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021, which came into force on Oct 15, 2021, limits the use of subsidised LPG to a maximum of 42kg at any one time for commercial purposes. Any shop exceeding this limit must obtain a permit and switch to non-subsidised LPG. On Thursday (June 5), Armizan said small and micro-scale food and beverage operators would be exempted from enforcement under Ops Gasak. Armizan said the Cabinet agreed to review the regulations on the use of subsidised LPG cylinders by such traders, after recommendations submitted by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry. Ops Gasak, which began on May 1 until Oct 31, is meant to curb illegal activities such as decanting (transferring gas from subsidised LPG cylinders to non-subsidised ones), smuggling and the misuse of subsidised LPG by medium and large-scale industrial sectors. Dr Wee had said the Ops Gasak should have focused on large-scale operations and at the borders and not on petty traders and hawkers.
New Straits Times
06-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
MCA tells govt to define small businesses entitled to LPG
KUALA LUMPUR: The government must specify which micro and small businesses are entitled to use subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). MCA vice-president Datuk Lawrence Low said the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) must define what constitutes a "micro and small-scale food and sales business" amid growing confusion over the enforcement of subsidised LPG use under Ops Gasak. Low said the lack of details had left many traders uncertain and anxious. "Who exactly are these businesses? Are they classified by the volume of LPG they consume, their income levels, or some other benchmark? "Or will enforcement officers be left to make these determinations on the ground during Ops Gasak? The absence of clear criteria invites inconsistency and could result in unfair treatment," he said. Low, who is also chairs MCA's Economic and SME Affairs Committee, added that the confusion was compounded by a letter issued by Petronas, dated April 30, which prohibited the supply of subsidised LPG to commercial premises. "Why hasn't KPDN instructed Petronas to retract this letter? It is the root cause of the uncertainty and pressure being felt by small business owners," he said. The government had launched Op Gasak on May 1 to clamp down on the misuse of susidised LPG cylinders. Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali had said household and small businesses could use fewer than three 14kg LPG cylinders at a time without obtaining a scheduled controlled goods permit. Yesterday, Armizan said the exemption for small businesses would remain in effect until amendments to the Control of Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2021 were finalised.
