~ BorNeO BuLLeTiN ~
Motorists make a beeline to buy fuel at the SPPMB Gadong filling station.
A long queue seen stretching from the Beribi Petrol Station all the way until the entrance to Sumbangsih on the main road. 
Cars lining up to enter the Syarikat Amanah Haji Abdullah filling station in Kilanas.Petrol stations in the Brunei-Muara District experienced long queues as motorists lined up to fill the tanks of their cars to avoid buying unsubsidised fuel sold only today in conjunction with the Energy Day to bring about awareness on energy conservation among the public.
The Petroleum Unit foresaw some negative reaction from the public but pressed ahead with the one-day unsubsidised fuel campaign.
The Petroleum Unit foresaw some negative reaction from the public but pressed ahead with the one-day unsubsidised fuel campaign.
The move seems to have paid off as "Energy Day" was invariably on everyone's mind as motorists have been steadily stocking up on fuel since the past couple of days leading up to long lines last night at all petrol stations in the capital.
"People just took for granted the subsidies provided by His Majesty's Government all this while. It is a very good initiative and I strongly support it," said Rizan Latiff, secretariat and co-founder of the Beach Bunch.
"We will see how effective this campaign will go," he said before adding regardless of whether petrol stations are empty or full, "they (the public) are aware."
A government employee lauded the organisers for the campaign and said, "They should've come up with the idea a long time ago but it is still a good step to make people realise the value of energy... I wonder what will they come up with for next year's campaign?
"The campaign would have made a greater impact if it had been prolonged because motorists will rush to buy fuel today (May 23) and skip buying fuel on Monday and purchased again the next day," she added.
"It is a similar scene when the new moon is sighted on the eve of Hari Raya - even worse actually," said Hj Ameerol bin Hj Abd Hamid, Manager of Syrikat Amanah Hj Abdullah in Kilanas.
He predicted that the petrol station "probably would have no sale tomorrow" and added if this (today's price) was the actual price of fuel, "We would run into losses in terms of sales."
He predicted that the petrol station "probably would have no sale tomorrow" and added if this (today's price) was the actual price of fuel, "We would run into losses in terms of sales."
"The response from motorists has been tremendous for the past few days when the campaign was announced. The profit that we have made has already covered our sales for tomorrow (May 24)," said a supervisor at the Beribi petrol station.
According to sources, Brunei Shell Marketing (BSM) has advised all petrol stations to have a minimum order of fuel on May 24. A majority of the petrol stations will take part in the e-savings switch off and set (SOS) campaign on Energy Day by switching off unnecessary lights and setting the air conditioner to a higher temperature.
Khairuddin, an ITB graduate, while acknowledging the government's efforts, said he would still prefer to save money and buy fuel before the one-day unsubsidised sale of fuel begins.
Hafiz, on the other hand said he would show his support by buying the unsubsidised fuel today and urge his friends and family to do so.
"Not only do I support the government's initiative, but I would also like to experience first-hand how others in the rest of the world are handling their fuel needs at a much higher price than us in Brunei.
"This not only proves that we are blessed with a very kind monarch, and for this we show our gratitude by at least supporting the Energy Day initiative," he said.
"Not only do I support the government's initiative, but I would also like to experience first-hand how others in the rest of the world are handling their fuel needs at a much higher price than us in Brunei.
"This not only proves that we are blessed with a very kind monarch, and for this we show our gratitude by at least supporting the Energy Day initiative," he said.
Several other members of the public also voiced out their opinions regarding the initiative, saying that the unsubsidised fuel sale should be extended for a week to really spread the message of conserving our energy resources.
"Oil and gas are non-renewable resources that our country is blessed with. As part of the younger generation in the country, we should really understand the importance of conserving our resources," said Walie, a teacher from a secondary school.
A motorist from Sengkurong drove all the way to Beribi Petrol Station to buy fuel as the lines were too long in his area. "The lines were too long because the station has only four pumps, so I decided to drive here as I know there are more fuel pumps."
Another motorist went to three different petrol stations in Bunut, Kilanas and Berakas before ending up at the Beribi Petrol Station due to similar reasons. She drives a diesel-fuelled car and diesel has the highest subsidy and it will cost $0.91 per litre today instead of the usual $0.31.
Meanwhile, President of Brunei Muara Taxi Drivers Association (PPTBM), Makrat Haji Awang said that the campaign would not affect the taxi drivers.
"It wouldn't be a problem for us as we only make two to three trips per day and fuel usually lasts up to three to four days," he said before adding that taxi drivers will still buy fuel on Energy Day to show their support for the campaign.
Around half past 10 last night the lines of vehicles at petrol stations including the Berakas Petrol Station stretched until the Berakas traffic light and at the Beribi Petrol Station vehicles were seen queuing up until the entrance to Sumbangsih on the main raod.
Petrol stations in Tutong, too, saw brisk sales as the PHA Bakar Petrol Station in Bandar Tutong and Pakatan Petrol Station in Tutong town sold more diesel and petrol than usual.
In Tutong, some also questioned the need to impose the no-subsidy day, saying that there are other means to increase awareness on energy conservation than to "penalise" the citizens by charging fuel at "double" the price. They said, the one-day no-fuel-subsidy day would only hit people's finances.
Switching off air-conditioners in government offices and opening up windows would be a better option, they said.
Those who understood the reason behind the no-fuel-subsidy day also questioned the efficacy of the method. Many said, because it is only for one day, people would simply avoid buying fuel on that day. The demand on that day will drop while the aggregate demand on fuel will be the same.
They said it would be better if the no-fuel subsidy were to run for three days in order to raise awareness on conserving our energy resources.
Some told the Bulletin that having to make people avoid buying fuel on May 24 was enough to rally the message of energy conservation.
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