Bahlil says Pertalite restrictions for deciles 9-10 await data validity
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has said that restrictions on the distribution of subsidised Pertalite fuel to households in deciles 9-10 are awaiting data validation.
“That (the Pertalite restriction) is still being reviewed. Why? Because we want the subsidy to be properly targeted. One way to make it properly targeted is for our data to be valid,” Bahlil said when met after a working meeting with Commission XII of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday.
Bahlil said the accuracy of the decile data is currently being examined by the government.
He expressed hope that, through accurate decile classification data, the government’s objective of ensuring Pertalite distribution is properly targeted can be achieved as planned.
“We must not let our good intentions be undermined during implementation because the data is invalid, resulting in outcomes that do not match our expectations,” Bahlil said.
The government has budgeted energy subsidies of Rp210.1 trillion, or around 65.87 percent of the total subsidy allocation in the 2026 state budget, which has been set at Rp318.9 trillion.
When combined with compensation, the budget allocated by the government for energy security amounts to Rp381.3 trillion.
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the plan to restrict fuel subsidies for decile 10 could save around 10 percent of the energy subsidy budget.
The restriction is intended to make subsidy distribution more targeted, he said.
Purbaya also said that the control of fuel subsidies, particularly for Pertalite, will be carried out in stages and that Pertamina’s systems are capable of supporting the restriction.
He said that fuel subsidy control can be implemented by prohibiting people in deciles 9 and 10 from purchasing Pertalite. People in deciles 9 and 10 would be required to buy non-subsidised fuel.
According to him, the control of fuel subsidies is still under discussion and is expected to be implemented soon after all systems are ready.