SUCH is the case of Nurul Amin Hamid who found himself snubbed by Madani backers for implying that the most expensive Hari Raya gift by the government of the day to the rakyat this year has to be a sudden spike in (unsubsidised) petrol/diesel prices “merely by citing the (Iran) war and world oil prices even though we’re a global oil exporter”.
The first-term Padang Terap MP who drives a Ford pick-up truck for ease of distributing contributions to his electorate as well as to travel from his constituency to Kuala Lumpur to attend the Dewan Rakyat further seized the moment to criticise the Madani government for unavailability of allocation for opposition MPs.
“I’m determined to ensure that the government led by PMX who had repeatedly claimed to have a cheap oil formula in the past is rejected by the rakyat,” penned Nurul Amin who is also the Kedah PAS deputy election director on his Facebook page.
“(The unbearable diesel price) which has become so burdensome to the rakyat will soon pave the way to a sudden surge in prices of goods. Have pity on villagers who will be affected – the rubber tappers, rice farmers, small traders and even school pupils will feel the pinch.”
In an ensuing media statement, Nurul Amin also took a swipe at the Madani government for failing to provide a clear and comprehensive mitigation plan with regard to the Peninsular Malaysia diesel price which shot up by 80 sen to a record RM4.72/ litre for the March 19-25 period.
⛽ RON97 ➡️ pada → RM4.55 seliter
⛽ RON95 tanpa subsidi ➡️ pada → RM3.27 seliter
⛽ RON95 bersubsidi (BUDI95) kekal RM1.99 seliter
🚛 Diesel Semenanjung Malaysia ➡️ pada → RM 4.72 seliter
🚛 Diesel Sabah, Sarawak & Labuan kekal RM2.15 seliter— Ministry of Finance🇲🇾 (@MOFmalaysia) March 18, 2026
“Malaysia still has policy space to act, namely through targeted subsidies, price controls and fiscal interventions,” opined the religious scholar from Egypt’s Universiti Al-Azhar. “Therefore, the failure to provide a clear mitigation plan is not merely a global issue but reflects weaknesses in domestic policy management.”
Editor’s Note: The current diesel price surge to RM4.72 is attributed to global crude oil prices exceeding US$100/barrel due to conflicts in the Middle East.
Blame Donald Trump, Israel?
Well, Nurul Amin was swamp by detractors who mocked for his ‘cry wolf’ gesture with many insinuating that the situation was unforeseeable and beyond control the world over.
“The MP also commented like kids even though he’s aware that the diesel price hike is because of the Iranian war,” jibed the seemingly most popular comment to Nurul Amin’s FB post which has since garnered 8.8K likes, 6.3K comments and 336 shares at the time of writing.
“If you become the government, wouldn’t you also raise the diesel price, too?” wondered the commenter.
However, such view was rubbished by seemingly oppositions-slant backers who defended Nurul Amin by claiming that diesel prices “have been on the uptrend since January 2026, hence the Iranian war remains an excuse”.
One commenter even pointed to Malaysia being an oil exporter for aviation fuel (high grade oil) yet has to import lower grade oil for other uses (presumably road transportation).
Elsewhere, another pro-Madani netizen ticked off Nurul Amin for “riding on the diesel price spike because he’s unable to capitalise on the RON95 narrative”.
The downside to such claim is that those who rely on the subsided RM1.99/litre RON95 “won’t be able to feel the hardship of diesel users”.
Other seemingly Madani keyboard warriors who chided Nurul Amin by telling him “to blame (US President Donald) Trump and Israel for the Iranian war” also found their views cornered by learned opposition-slant commenters.
One counter-argument is that should PMX (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) being in the Opposition’s shoes, “he, too, would have spoken out loudly or even take to the streets to protest or hasut (incite) here and there.
Likewise, question was raised as to why there is disparity between unsubsidised petrol/diesel prices between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah & Sarawak “as if the latter two aren’t impacted by the Iranian war”.
Editor’s Note: The Malaysian federal government has maintained subsidised diesel price at RM2.15/litre in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan while that in Peninsular Malaysia have moved to a targeted, market-driven rate.
The main reasons for this exemption are to prevent a drastic increase in the cost of living in both states due to unique geographic, economic and logistical factors.
Well, argument similar to Nurul Amin was also mooted by MCA vice-president Datuk Lawrence Low who called for urgent action given the current diesel price surge threatens inflation and Malaysia’s economic stability.
“What is urgently needed is decisive policy intervention. The government should review the fuel pricing mechanism and introduce stabilisation measures such as a price ceiling or fund during periods of volatility,” proposed the MCA Economic & SMEs Affairs Committee chairman.
“Diesel subsidies must be expanded and better targeted to support transport operators, agriculture and SMEs with stronger enforcement to prevent leakages.”
The bottom-line is perhaps neither Nurul Amin nor Low for that matter is riding over concerns of spiralling diesel price with their somehow constructive criticism of policy weakness on the part of the Madani government.
But to be fair to all quarters, Malaysia is not alone in facing potential economic turmoil of sorts that emanate from the on-going Iranian war amid the Brent crude currently hovering around US$107-US$108/barrel with speculations rife of the price skyrocketing to US$200/barrel amid sustained disruption.
At the end of the day, many ideas are easier to voice out than to get them practically implemented. – March 20, 2026
