Giving 3 Kg 'Melon' LPG Subsidy Worth IDR 50 Trillion Called Wrong Target

JAKARTA - The National Strategy to Prevent Corruption (Stranas PK) found that the provision of subsidies in the form of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) of Rp50 trillion was not on target.

This was conveyed by the Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Nawawi Pomolango when opening World Anti-Corruption Day (Hakordia) 2024 on Monday, December 9. This institution coordinates Stranas PK in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 54/2018.

"The inaccuracy of the 3 kilogram LPG subsidy target is IDR 50 trillion," Nawawi said in his remarks quoted on Tuesday, December 10.

Meanwhile, the Implementing Coordinator of Stranas PK Pahala Nainggolan said that his party highlighted the regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources regarding the subsidy of melon gas. As for the current regulations, 3 kilograms of LPG should be used by poor households, micro businesses, farmers and target fishermen.

However, continued Pahala, currently users of melon gas in the field are only poor people and micro businesses. Thus, the budget swelling occurs over time.

"We suspect that around Rp. 40 to Rp. 50 trillion, this 3 kg LPG subsidy can be saved, if he goes directly to a poor family," said the Deputy for Prevention and Monitoring of the KPK.

"Therefore, we have written the Regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources two months or three months ago to immediately change it and mention what 3 kg specifics are for," continued Pahala.

In addition, Pahala also said that the Ministry of MSMEs should play a role in providing data on people who have small cooking businesses. "But in reality, now the poor families are just that big, but the allocation per province continues to increase every year. That's why we study at the KPK," he concluded.