KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong has clarified that his earlier statement on the Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95) initiative concerning monthly quota of subsidised fuel had been taken out of context.

Liew said widely reportedly news that the government was weighing to further reduce the monthly quota from 200 litres to 150 litres was inaccurate.

In a Facebook posting, Liew said he was asked about the government strategy to manage global energy crisis during a fireside chat at an Affin Bank event this morning.

"I was asked about the government's strategy to manage the global energy crisis. It's unfortunate that what I said was taken out of the context.

"In no instance I announced anything on behalf of the government, and in no instance that I announced the 150 litres limit as potential government policy.

"The Budi95 mechanism is a good tool as it provides us with data to understand the travel pattern of Malaysians. ⁠The top priority of the government and everyone in the society is to ensure that we have sufficient supply for as long as possible.

"⁠As a society, we must ensure that we have petrol supply for the longest of time, and at some point we should build consensus to support the effort to reduce fuel consumption.

"⁠I regret that my comments have caused a media storm and I hope all would consider the full context of what I said."

Various media outlets had earlier reported that Liew had raised the possibility of the Budi95 quota being further reduced to 150 litres a month.

This was based on his direct quote as follows:

"Initially in September last year, everyone is given 300 litres per person per month. It has now been reduced to 200 litres. Do you see many people affected?

"Really very few. Because the data consistently show that 80 per cent of Malaysians use less than 200 litres. So the remaining 20 per cent could adjust by travelling at a different hour, by reducing consumption or by paying a bit more, paying market price.

"The next step is 150 (litres). Sixty per cent of population use less than 150 litres. And further down, 50 per cent of the population uses less than 100 litres. So at some point, I think we will have to deal with using Budi95 as a demand management tool."