adminKUALA LUMPUR: Two fuel supply companies, Petron and Chevron, owners of the Caltex brand, have begun implementing compensation payments as a courtesy to vehicle owners who have experienced engine damage, following the issue of RON95 petrol contamination.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said that both oil companies have initiated follow-up action involving damage complaints that have been confirmed to be valid, while detailed investigations are still ongoing.
“Caltex and Petron have devised a customer recovery program through an assistance program, which involves a courtesy payment based on established criteria, without any admission of fault or liability at this stage.”
“The payment will be given to customers who have submitted a complete complaint along with valid supporting documents,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) who wanted to know the results of the Chemistry Department’s analysis of RON95 samples in five states and depots, as well as the government’s immediate action to restore consumer confidence and provide compensation for affected vehicles.
Regarding the progress of the investigation, Armizan said that the results of initial analysis by the Chemistry Department on 43 petrol samples found that no elements of water pollution had been detected so far.
He said the initial report dated Oct 29 showed the water content was at a level of less than 0.05 percent, which is below the minimum detection limit that can be reported.
“The remaining samples are still in the analysis process and a full report will be issued after all samples have been analyzed by the Chemistry Department.”
“The immediate focus is on the water detection parameters and so far it appears to be negative (no water element). So we are looking at further investigation into the presence of other foreign objects and also the supply formula at a certain period,” he said.
Armizan said that, in total, a total of 262 samples of RON95 petrol have been taken in eight states and three oil company depots since complaints were first received on Oct 3.
Apart from local tests, he said, both oil companies also sent samples to their respective laboratories, including abroad.
“Although the investigation findings are not yet conclusive, we see that it is not an issue that involves the entire supply chain, only supply during a certain period of time,” he said.
Armizan said the incident was not considered an isolated case even though it was concentrated during a certain period in certain locations, particularly in Kedah and Penang, and there were petrol stations that were still forced to close to this day.
To prevent similar issues from recurring, he said, the ministry is currently benchmarking with several countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom and Australia, to ensure quality standards and monitoring throughout the supply chain.
Meanwhile, Armizan said vehicle owners who are not satisfied with the amount of compensation offered still have legal recourse, including making an official complaint to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), filing civil action or referring the case to the Malaysian Consumer Claims Tribunal (TTPM).
— BERNAMA
