Let me give my two cents worth on the ban on the sale of oil to Singaporeans by the Malaysian authorities. First of all, let me state that the subsidy on oil in the very first place was a wrong move even if it was meant for their locals. I can go on and on into economic theories on why such a precious commodity should not be subsidised but that is not what I am here to talk about.

I feel that the timing of the ban does appear to be very suspicious and might hide more issues.

1. This announcement of the ban came about merely a few days after Pedra Branca was awarded to Singapore by the International Court of Justice. While on hindsight it appears to be a simple retaliatory move, I feel that this ban is actually done more to appease the Malaysian people who might now be feeling resentful especially in light of the political troubles that have been plaguing the country. The loss of Pedra Branca was an event that could have sparked off even more resentment and the ban on the sale of oil could have appeared to be a solution to that.

2. While the possible reason for it has been explained earlier, the timing of it right after the decision by the ICJ does seem to explain why it seems to have been imposed so suddenly. However, I feel that what is important here is the timing of the ban to be right at the VERY start of the school holiday period during which hordes of Singaporeans flock to various parts of Malaysia for holidays. We have read in the news about how several Malaysian retailers have expressed their anger at what could very much affect their business. With the school holiday in full swing and Singaporeans crossing the causeway for holidays and not merely day shopping trips, I have no doubt that the impact of the problem will not be accurately felt until after the holidays and by then, I'm sure the Malaysian authorities hope that some if not all of the resentment by the Malaysian retailers would have subsided by then.