To Register Or Not: The Fuel Station MySejahtera Fiasco

Everybody seems to have their own view on what to do at the petrol station when it comes to registering on MySejahtera.

Yesterday's news of a breakthrough COVID-19 vaccine is a sign that the end to this long and painful nightmare is hopefully near, but before we get there, we must still adhere to some SOPs set by the Malaysian government no matter how ridiculous some portray it to be.

The latest SOP to make headlines is the confusion over whether you have to register with MySejahtera when filling up your vehicle at the fuel station.

There was a mass media report yesterday saying that the police would penalise those who did not register when filling up their vehicles at the pumps. This report was based on the comments made by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Director DCP Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid who stated that anyone arriving at the petrol station needs to register with the MySejahtera app, including those who use the self-service kiosk.

But according to Sin Chew Daily, two National Security Council hotline operators contradicted each other when asked about this matter.

According to the Chinese-language newspaper, one operator said this was not needed if consumers paid for their fuel with credit cards directly at the pumps but another agreed with the police who said that MySejahtera registration was necessary even if you do not go to the fuel station's cashier counters.

When confronted about the discrepancy, the NSC operator said that the issue would be addressed by the briefing on security matters related to the conditional movement control order (CMCO) today so we shall have to wait and see.

While waiting for this briefing, some news had come out where the CPRC (crisis preparedness and response centre) has responded to this fiasco and said that registering with MySejahtera App is not needed when filling up petrol at the self-service kiosk. Only those entering the premise are needed to scan the MySejahtera App.

The Star Online also reported that the President of Petrol Dealers Association Datuk Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz said that only those who enter the petrol station shop, toilet or surau would need to register.

But above all, the one statement that matters the most is of course the one that came from Datuk Ismail Sabri. During the regular evening briefing which we have come to know since the pandemic hit us, Sabri basically said in a nutshell that any form contactless transactions at the petrol station premise will not require a MySejahtera registration. 

"If you enter the petrol station shop, register, if you go to the mechanics at the side of the petrol station, register. If you are using the manual car wash service you have to register. If you are filling up your tyres with air you do not need to register. If you are paying via debit or credit card at the self-service kiosk you do not need to register. Even if you pay at the window you do not need to register".

What Sabri is basically trying to say is that any form of activity at the petrol station pump that doesn't incur you to be in close contact with others you do not need to register. For others like using the toilet or visiting the Surau, you must".

It's pretty logical really but this is what happens when things are not specifically specified - people just come up with their own conclusion.