Kuala Lampur, Oct. 29 -- Malaysians have felt the Middle East conflict at the petrol pump and in the grocery bill. Benchmark crude has traded at around US$100 a barrel in recent weeks, and every ringgit spent cushioning that increase is a ringgit not spent on schools, hospitals and the grid.

Last week, the energy conversation moved closer to home. On October 21, Indonesia's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said Jakarta was considering not renewing some gas export contracts with neighbours, in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directive to put domestic needs first. Indonesia then trimmed pipeline gas deliveries to Singapore for about 18 days, saying the cut stayed within contractual limits. Malaysia, which also ...