In a post on Facebook today, Wee acknowledged that while the amendments to the Control of Supplies Regulations were passed in 2021 during his time as a minister, there were no large-scale enforcement operations until this year.
“There were no large-scale enforcement operations like Op Gasak that is now aggressively targeting night markets, stalls, small vendors and food hawkers,” he said.
He claimed that the Pakatan Harapan government also attempted to enforce the use of commercial liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in restaurants and eateries in 2019, but halted the move after realising the burden it placed on the public.
“The existence of a law does not mean enforcement must be harsh or sudden. Many laws have existed for years, but enforcement is often carried out based on current government discretion and necessity.
“Op Gasak is an administrative decision made by the Madani government in 2025, not a directive from the Cabinet when the 2021 amendment was passed,” he said.
Yesterday, domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali reminded Wee that the requirement for a permit for the use of more than three 14kg cylinders at one time was initially introduced in 2021 when Wee was a member of the Cabinet.
He said the current government was merely enforcing that rule and had not introduced any new regulations regarding subsidised LPG cylinders.
“The regulation was enacted under the previous government, under which Wee was a minister at the time. Perhaps he overlooked it since it was another ministry’s policy.
“Wee should have provided his opposition to the new rule at that time,” Armizan said in a statement.
He said the operation was aimed at tackling the use of subsidised LPG by non-eligible sectors, as well as illegal decanting of gas from subsidised cylinders to non-subsidised ones before being sold at a profit.
At present, 12kg and 14kg LPG tanks are sold for domestic use.
Wee argued the rule’s current enforcement was placing a burden on small traders at a time when the public is already under pressure.
“The sales and service tax’s hike and the expansion of its scope will begin in June. Electricity tariffs will increase in July, RON95 subsidies are being retargeted, and the minimum wage has increased to RM1,700 – all these add to the operating costs of small traders.
“Op Gasak, which targets small traders using 12kg and 14kg LPG cylinders, further worsens the pressure on the rakyat,” he said.
Wee also argued that LPG subsidies are not a major financial burden to the country, only amounting to RM3.4 billion in 2024, down from RM4 billion in 2022.
“This is much smaller than the increase in SST collection, which rose by RM13.4 billion from RM31.3 billion to RM44.7 billion in the same period. SST collection is projected to increase further to RM51.7 billion in 2025,” he said.