KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — Rafizi Ramli said today the threshold-based subsidy system used to keep RON95 petrol cheap was his brainchild, a mockery directed against Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali after the latter suggested the minister of economy had failed to bring the retail price of petrol down.
Rafizi fired the salvo on Twitter against Azmin’s statement that he would only agree to debate the minister if Rafizi succeeds in cutting petrol prices, allegedly a promise the PKR leader made at the 14th general election campaign trail but which he has repeatedly denied.
“Poor guy. He’s worried that his track record as the economy minister would be scrutinised,” the Pandan MP wrote.
“So to avoid debating me he sets the condition that I cut petrol price down. Well if it’s not because of the formula I pushed for then the price of RON95 would be RM3.10 [a litre] now,” he added.
In 2018, Rafizi had suggested that subsidies for RON95 be capped at a certain rate. Based on that formula, the government would not have to spend on subsidies if the price of RON95 falls below the threshold rate. The formula was presented as a solution to the global oil price route at the time.
The two politicians have traded barbs since Rafizi challenged Azmin, who was the minister of economy during the first Pakatan Harapan administration, to debate the state of the economy.
Azmin, who later defected to Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, was later made minister of international trade and industry under the Muhyiddin administration.
He is set to stand for Bersatu in Hulu Klang, Selangor, where he is known to be very popular.
Perikatan Nasional leaders have expressed confidence that the PAS-Bersatu-Gerakan coalition could wrest Selangor from PH, which has governed the state since 2008.
