MPs pass proposal to STOP gasoline price hike

Manama : Parliamentarians yesterday passed an urgent proposal to stop the recent hike in gasoline prices and referred it to the government for approval.

This came during yesterday’s regular weekly meeting of the House of Representatives, chaired by Speaker Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mulla.

The legislators, citing the Royal directives in this regard, demanded the authorities to “stop executing the decision” until the MPs and the government reach a consensus on the issue.

The MPs thanked His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa for stressing the importance of consensus and instructing to postpone the hike for the joint executive-legislative committee to complete its work, and until the National Audit Office ensures that the process falls in line with the laws in force in the Kingdom.

As reported by DT News, earlier this month, Parliamentarians had rejected the sudden decision by the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) to increase gasoline prices by almost 25 percent. Expressing concerns, the MPs also boycotted their weekly meeting on January 9, a day after the decision came into effect. The decision increased prices of Jayyid fuel (91-octane) from 125fils/litre to 140fils/litre and Mumtaz fuel (95-octane) from 160fils/litre to 200fils/litre.