Inaugurating One Price Fuel, Bahlil Confesses Once Buying Subsidized Fuel Up To IDR 35,000 Per Liter

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia. (Photo: Maria Trisnawati/VOI)

AMBON - Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia shared his experience when buying subsidized fuel while still living in the Papua region in 2007.

Prior to the One Price Fuel program, he said, people had to spend more money to buy fuel.

"In Papua, in 2007 when I was still a businessman, the price of fuel in Wamena was Rp. 25,000, Rp. 27,000 to Rp. 30,000," said Bahlil when inaugurating One Price Fuel in Ambon City, Maluku Province, quoted Thursday, December 19.

Even if it enters the rainy season and fuel transport aircraft cannot deliver fuel, the price of fuel in the region can reach Rp. 35,000 per liter. This is actually different from the price of fuel in the Java region which is close to an oil source that can access fuel for Rp. 7,000 per liter.

"How many times is that, try to imagine," he continued.

For this reason, Bahlil assessed that people who live in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas are much more patient when compared to other regions. because people in the 3T region remain patient even though the fuel price is set higher by many times than other regions.

"These 3T areas are good people, be patient. Oil prices go up quietly, don't worry about them. The important thing is that they can live well," said Bahlil.

For this reason, Bahlil asked people in areas that were not included in the 3T to imitate this attitude.

"In other areas, the price of oil has increased by Rp. 200, all of them have been noisy," continued Bahlil.

Bahlil believes that the existence of One Price Fuel is able to stimulate the economy of remote communities and answer the basic needs of the community. This is in line with the government's target of achieving economic growth by 8 percent.

"There will not be a good economic growth in the regions if fuel is not available at affordable prices," he explained.

Bahlil hopes that the community's support in the success of the Asta Cita program launched by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto.

"The president has a program in Astha, he hopes that at least four will become the main programs, namely food sovereignty, energy sovereignty, downstreaming, and nutritious food. These four things we must do and need support from all levels of society from Aceh to Papua," concluded Bahlil.