The Government Refuses To Cancel The Price Of Pertalite Even Though World Oil Is Small

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The recent world crude oil price has prompted the public to question when the government will lower the price of Pertalite type fuel oil (BBM).

In this regard, the Director General of Oil and Gas (Dirjen Migas) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Tutuka Ariadji revealed that his party was still seeing the development of world crude oil price fluctuations.

"So, we will continue to see the development of world oil. (The price) of world oil is not only going down, but up and down and down. Now we want to go up again," Tutuka told reporters, Friday, February 3.

Tutuka explained, when world oil prices fell to their lowest level, his party saw that there was still a difference of Rp1,000 above the selling price of Pertalite in the market.

"So the economic price is still high, so we don't change the price of Pertalite which was subsidized earlier," added Tutuka.

However, Tutuka does not deny that there will be a decrease in Pertalite prices in the future.

"Later, if there is a change downward, we will evaluate it because the price has dropped properly. But if we look at the price of oil rising again because we have not changed it because the condition is still at the price of the pertalite economy which is subsidized," concluded Tutuka.