Council to summon Pertamina over diluted gasoline

JAKARTA (JP): The City Council will summon representatives of state oil and gas company Pertamina following complaints of diluted gasoline being sold by a number of gas stations in the capital, a councillor said on Wednesday.

Deputy council speaker Muhammad Suwardi said Pertamina, which issues business licenses to gas stations, should be able to take action against them.

"If Pertamina cannot control gas stations, then it would be better for the company to stop issuing licenses for new stations," he said.

He also said Pertamina should send letters to all gas stations in the capital warning them against diluting fuel.

"Pertamina has the authority to revoke the licenses of gas stations that are proven to sell diluted gasoline," he added.

Contacted separately, the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) confirmed that it had received many reports of diluted gasoline, which has been proven to damage a vehicle's engine.

"Today (Wednesday) for example, I received two calls from residents reporting that they'd just found out that the gasoline they bought was mixed with water," Agus Pambagio, deputy chairman of the foundation, said.

One of complainants said he bought the gasoline at a gas station on Jl. Melawai in South Jakarta.

Agus said he had earlier received complaints about diluted gasoline sold at gas stations on Jl. Kapten Tendean in South Jakarta, Jl. Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta and three others in East Jakarta: on Jl. Otto Iskandardinata and in Cimanggis and Cibubur.

The stations were reported for selling gasoline which had been mixed with either kerosene or water, he added.

He said many residents not only complained about being sold diluted premium gasoline, but also premix and Super TT (unleaded gasoline).

Agus urged the public to be more critical and encouraged people to protest directly to Pertamina.

"We (YLKI) will (only) support them by giving them data, since we have already have many other problems waiting for attention," he said.

There is no other way to solve this case but through legal measures, because this could be categorized as a crime, he added.

Official data show that the capital requires at least 8,000 kiloliters of leaded gasoline every day, with premium accounting for 97 percent of sales. (04)