Government Restricts Purchase Of Pertalite Fuel September 1, DPR: Don't Lose The People

Gas station officers filled up the fuel. (ANTARA).

JAKARTA - The government plans to limit the purchase of subsidized fuel oil (BBM), especially pertalite on September 1, 2024.

The DPR asked the Government to make thorough and aggressive preparations to provide socialization to the public so that this policy would run effectively.

"The implementation of this policy must be carried out carefully so as not to cause difficulties for people who really need Pertalite. Make sure the policy is right on target and do not harm the people," said Commission VII member Abdul Kadir Karding in a press release, Tuesday, August 27.

According to him, this policy will cause a negative reaction from the public if the Government does not provide a correct and complete explanation.

"So the Government needs to ensure that there is a clear and transparent mechanism to identify and help community groups who really need subsidies so that they can still take advantage of pertalite," he said.

Previously, former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif discussed the plan to limit the purchase of Pertalite in a hearing with Commission VII of the DPR. Arifin Tasrif said the policy's goal was to ensure that fuel subsidies were more targeted and reduce the state's burden on fuel subsidies.

This is because many subsidized fuel users are found to come from the middle to upper class so that subsidies from the Government are not effective in reaching people who are entitled to subsidies. Even so, the Government is expected to provide good education to the public so as not to cause controversy.

"This policy may also cause reactions from the community, especially those who feel affected by this restriction. There needs to be mechanisms and education to the public regarding the objectives and benefits of the policy of limiting the purchase of pertalite," said Karding.

Legislator dari Dapil Jawa Tengah VI ini mengatakan, Pemerintah harus memastikan bahwa sistem pendaftaran kendaraan di MyPertamina berfungsi dengan baik sebelum kebijakan diterapkan. Karding meminta agar dilakukan persiapan teknis yang matang, termasuk uji coba sistem dan pelatihan untuk petugas gas station untuk menghindari gangguan dalam pelaksanaan kebijakan.

"Using this application is risky with technical problems such as server problems or data errors, so it must be anticipated and addressed proactively. Before it is implemented, we must make sure that everything goes smoothly," he said.

Furthermore, Karding reminded the importance of preparing a strict monitoring system to anticipate the possibility of selling subsidized fuel to unauthorized parties. Of course this can harm people who are truly entitled to subsidies.

"It should be noted that this policy must have a risk, so prepare supervision to reduce the risk of irregularities or misappropriation in policy implementation," said Karding.

The Commission in the House of Representatives in charge of energy affairs also hopes that the Government will prepare a mitigation strategy to reduce economic burden on the middle class people affected by the policy. Moreover, said Karding, the current economic condition has the potential to go down to lower class groups from an economic perspective.

"Make sure that the impact of this policy does not harm the most vulnerable groups. And the entire process must be carried out with high transparency and accountability to ensure that this policy is not only accepted but also understood and implemented properly by the community," he explained.

"Socialize well, prepare a mature system, and strict supervision is the key to the successful implementation of this Pertalite restriction policy," concluded Carding.