Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has not said he would announce electricity tariff hikes as war in the Middle East continues to roil oil and gas markets, contrary to a false claim shared in an altered news graphic circulating on social media. Local broadcaster Astro Awani branded the graphic a "fake", while the government said it was committed to shielding consumers from fluctuating energy costs.

"New electricity tariff hike to be announced soon - PM Anwar," reads Malay-language text over a supposed news graphic from local broadcaster Astro Awani shared on Facebook on March 29, 2026.

The graphic features an image of Anwar and was shared with a caption that blames the prime minister's Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition for increasing electricity rates as oil prices rose.

The war in the Middle East that was triggered by a joint US-Israeli strike on Iran on February 28, 2026 has entered a fifth week, disrupting key supply routes and causing fuel prices to soar, prompting governments to shore up their economies (archived link).

Malaysia's status as an oil producer has allowed it to heavily subsidise fuel prices for citizens, but Anwar said the fallout from the war could no longer be ignored and announced on March 26 the quota of cheaper petrol for eligible citizens would be reduced from 300 litres to 200 litres (archived link).

The purported graphic circulated across social media on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, misleading social media users.

"This must be due to the war," one user wrote.

"The government has failed... always oppressing the people," said another.

However, as of April 1, 2026, Malaysia's leader has not said electricity charges would be increased.

According to the International Energy Agency, about 35 percent of Malaysia's electricity is generated using natural gas (archived link).

In a statement on Facebook on March 15, 2026, Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Fadillah Yusof, who also serves as deputy prime minister, said the country was committed to shielding consumers from the impact of global fuel cost increases (archived link).

He said about 85 percent of domestic users in Malaysia were unaffected by fluctuations in fuel prices as they were exempted from paying additional costs under an automatic fuel adjustment mechanism.

A keyword search on Google found that Astro Awani branded the graphic a "fake" in a statement on its Instagram account on March 29 (archived link).

The broadcaster said it had reported the posts to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

A reverse image search on Google followed by keyword searches found the original graphic published on the broadcaster's Instagram account on March 27, but with the headline "Oil supply stable until May, alternative measures being implemented - PM Anwar" (archived link).

The post does not mention electricity rates being increased.

AFP has debunked a surge of misinformation linked to the war in the Middle East here.