Fuel crisis: PM visits 3 states in 3 days, thousands ride with PN MBs in 10km 'convoy'

(Editor’s Note: Malaysiakini has updated the calculation of the PN convoy’s fuel consumption based on the coalition’s estimates of the number of participants.)

Amid skyrocketing fuel prices and supply concerns, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim toured three states in as many days for political events, with a side of work.

Meanwhile, Anwar’s would-be rival, Perikatan Nasional chief Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, rode in a 10km motorcycle convoy together with the menteris besar of Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis.

PAS mouthpiece Harakah Daily reported that thousands participated in the ride from Dataran Batu Buruk to the Terengganu State Sports Complex in Kuala Terengganu.

Samsuri said 15,000 people participated in the convoy. Based on this, assuming an average engine capacity of 150cc and an average fuel consumption of three litres per 100km, Malaysiakini estimates the convoy would have consumed 4,500 litres of petrol in total or RM8,955 at subsidised prices.

This did not factor in fuel consumption of those who were from out of state, including the other PN menteris besar.

‘Tone-deaf’ move

PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar slammed the convoy as tone deaf.

She said governments across the world were responding to the fuel crisis with urgency, tightening consumption, building buffers, and preparing their economies for prolonged uncertainty.

“Yet here at home, we witness a motorcycle convoy involving thousands – a display that, by any reasonable description, promotes consuming wasteful litres of fuel in a single event.

“This is not just tone-deaf. It reflects a troubling lack of priority,” she was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today.

Madani events

As for Anwar, the prime minister started his journey on Friday in Pahang, where he chaired a district development meeting, officiated the first Madani Mart store, and attended two Madani rallies.

READ MORE: Madani Mart licensors will pay royalties to foundation tied to deputy minister, PM's aides

On Saturday, he was in Perak visiting at least two schools, including his alma mater, the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, as well as attending Madani programmes.

The following day, Anwar headed down to Johor for the state PKR annual meeting, visited a Felda settlement and a vocational school.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek had accompanied Anwar in Perak and Johor, while Human Resources Minister R Ramanan and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil also attended the Johor PKR convention.

Chopper ride

During his stay in Johor, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said also brought the prime minister on a helicopter ride so that he could see for himself the distance between Pulau Batu Puteh and Middle Rock.

The two rock outcrops are about 1.1km apart.

The Anwar administration had revived Malaysia’s interest in reclaiming Pulau Batu Puteh, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded to Singapore in 2008. Malaysia was awarded control of Middle Rock.

Azalina, in a post on X yesterday, said the flyby was meant to express her Pengerang constituents’ disappointment that the government had decided in 2018 to drop its appeal with the ICJ to reclaim Pulau Batu Puteh.

It is unclear which helicopter Azalina and Anwar had used for the sightseeing trip, but it appeared to be a six-seater.

The most used VIP transport helicopter in Malaysia is the AgustaWestland AW139.

Although the duration of their flight is unknown, the AW139 can consume between 400 and 450 litres of fuel per hour.

Incidentally, online flight tracking websites have sighted a VIP helicopter operated by the Prime Minister’s Department flying from the Johor Bahru Airport to its home base in Subang Airport last night.

This flight alone, lasting one hour and 18 minutes would have consumed between 520 and 585 litres of refined kerosene, costing between RM2,750 and RM3,100 at wholesale prices based on data from the International Air Transport Association’s Jet Fuel Price Monitor for the week ending March 27.

The actual retail price of the fuel is likely significantly higher.

This does not factor in the outbound leg of the trip to Johor and to fly around Pulau Batu Puteh and Middle Rock, or the time the helicopter would have spent hovering or loitering, or other flights missed by flight tracking websites.

It is unclear if Anwar was aboard the helicopter during the Johor-Subang flight, or if he had used the same helicopter during his trip.

Nevertheless, several social media users responded to Azalina’s post by questioning how the helicopter ride aligned with Putrajaya’s messaging of being prudent during the energy crisis.

Federal agencies and government-linked companies are supposed to start working from home next week, with Anwar saying that this is to reduce fuel consumption amid supply issues caused by the West Asia conflict.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.

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