Fulfilling Promise, Anwar Ibrahim Makes Malaysian Fuel Prices Cheaper Than Saudi Arabia

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has told the public that he has kept his promise to maintain fuel prices in the country at a lower level than in Saudi Arabia. Anwar made the statement while addressing the lower house of the Malaysian parliament, the Dewan Rakyat, on Tuesday (14/7/2026).

Anwar revealed that fuel prices in Malaysia are lower than in oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. “We should not compare Malaysia to non-oil producing countries that consequently have much higher fuel prices. We should compare ourselves to Qatar and Saudi Arabia,” he said.

He then outlined changes in Malaysian fuel prices and compared them with those in the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia. “When we previously called for petrol prices to be reduced to 1.50 ringgit, the price in Saudi Arabia was around 0.50 ringgit. Today, our price is around 1.99 ringgit, while the price in Saudi Arabia is over 2.40 ringgit. Qatar and even the United Arab Emirates (UAE) raised fuel prices two months ago. The UAE is also a major oil and gas producer,” Anwar stated.

According to Anwar, this reflects changing economic realities. “Therefore, I once promised that Malaysia’s fuel prices would be lower than Saudi Arabia’s. That has been fulfilled,” he said.

Anwar noted that although his administration provides greater overall subsidies compared to the era of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, the context was different. “The context must also be taken into account. In terms of overall funding and financial assistance, it is now much higher. I have mentioned some of these previously, including STR, Sara, RON95 petrol, and Budi Diesel,” he said. “Overall, the assistance provided is far higher than before. That is a fact,” Anwar added.