Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said a recent move to cut gasoline prices by 5.6 percent to 2.55 ringgit (US$0.76) a liter was not politically motivated, a report yesterday said.
The government’s announcement on Friday comes ahead of a crucial by-election tomorrow contested by opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim in the northern Penang state.
Anwar has promised to cut fuel prices substantially if he is returned to parliament after a decade-long absence and wrests power from the ruling coalition.
“Never mind what people say. If I want to change the policy because I think I have to, I will change it,” Abdullah was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times. “I don’t care what the opposition says. I will do it. That’s me.”
The government hiked gasoline prices 41 percent in June to rein in the spiraling cost of energy subsidies, but the decision sparked angry street protests and triggered calls for him to quit, compounding his woes after disastrous results in March elections.
The government later said it would review fuel prices periodically from next month, with the new price to be fixed on the first day of every month.
But housing and local government minister Ong Ka Chuan (黃家泉) told state news agency Bernama the Cabinet on Friday would review fuel prices bi-monthly to be more responsive to fluctuating fuel costs.
“If there is further reduction, the government will announce an adjustment every 15 days based on global crude oil price,” Ong said.
Malaysia’s inflation rate rose to a new 26-year high of 8.5 percent last month, driven up by the escalating cost of fuel and electricity.
The central bank says it expects inflation to moderate in the second half this year as economic growth is likely to slow down.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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