Consumer group to probe gasoline sold in Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): The chairperson of the Indonesian Consumers Protection Foundation said yesterday that the foundation plans to sample and survey the gasoline and diesel fuel sold in Jakarta.

"The foundation will conduct the survey in 1995 and samples of gasoline will be taken from gas stations all over Jakarta," Zoemrotin K. Soesilo said, adding that similar testing was done almost ten years ago in 1985.

Zoemrotin said that recent public complaints about the bad quality of gasoline and diesel fuel sold in Jakarta, and also last week's arrest of a married couple for selling diesel fuel blended with lubricating oil and kerosene, prompted the foundation to conduct the survey.

The married couple, identified by the police as TM and Yul, own a gasoline distribution company in Tangerang.

However, J. Damanik, the acting head of Jakarta fuel distribution and superintendent's office of Pertamina, said that there are no gas stations in Jakarta selling gasoline mixed with other substances.

He said that Pertamina has tested the quality of almost all of its gas stations in town and has never found any "bogus" gasoline sold.

Kompas daily reported on Friday that Damanik pledged to take stern measures against any gas stations in the city found to have mixed gasoline with kerosene, though it will do so anonymously.

Zoemrotin lashed out at this decision, saying it was ineffective.

She partly attributes the gasoline problem gasoline in Jakarta to collusion among officials at Pertamina's depot, gas station owners and employees and, the gasoline truck drivers.

Zoemrotin said that to decrease the possibility of such practices and to increase the standard of gasoline in Jakarta, the government should establish another body specially in charge of supervising the quality of gasoline and recording the amount of gasoline pumped.

At the moment, the only institution which supervises the quality of gasoline is Pertamina.

Last year, a joint task force of Pertamina and the coordinating agency for the support of national stability and security, made on-site inspections to monitor the quality of fuel and lubricating oil sold in local markets.(mas)