The Pandan MP said Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, in claiming that the government had maintained retail prices for June and July despite the rise in crude oil market prices, had revealed that the government had failed to adhere to its own formula.

“This is an open admission of the government’s practise of going against its own formula for determining retail pump prices, as the public was informed that the price would be set in accordance with the average market price.”

Deciding to raise or maintain retail prices at a time when the average market price, according to the formula, was lower, was a form of hidden tax that could generate great income for the government, said Rafizi in a statement Friday.

He reiterated that going by the monthly average, the RON95 pump price for August should be RM1.65 per litre, and not RM1.75 per litre, as set by the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.

Rafizi, who is also PKR secretary-general, claimed that the real reason the government had decided to maintain fuel prices for the months of June and July was the then twin by-elections of Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar.

“The fuel price for June 2016 was announced on May 31 when the public was already aware of the twin by-elections. Hence the government went against its own formula out of concern that the public would be outraged by the price hike.”

Fuel prices for July were announced less than two weeks after the conclusion of the twin by-elections and to avoid being accused of manipulating fuel prices for the sake of the polls, the government decided to maintain them, added Rafizi.

He then urged the Finance Ministry to publish the weekly average oil prices so the public could gauge the actual price.

This may be the only way to stop the government from using oil prices as a political weapon to benefit the ruling Barisan Nasional, said Rafizi.

Rafizi warned that if Johari failed to comply with his demand, he would prepare his own weekly calculation for the public’s reference.