Fuel Queues in Makassar Grow Long Since Dawn; Pertamina Cites Panic Buying
A number of residents in Makassar, South Sulawesi, were forced to queue since the early hours of Thursday (10/09) to secure fuel supplies. This phenomenon of long queues has occurred at various petrol stations (SPBU) due to fears among residents that they will be unable to obtain petrol for their daily activities.
Field observations show winding queues at several locations, such as the Manggala petrol station, the Letnan Jenderal Hertasning road station, and the Aroepala road station. At the Manggala station, a resident named Heru admitted to being on standby since the early morning because stocks often run out quickly.
A similar situation was observed at petrol station number 74.902.50 on Aroepala Road. Wawan, an employee at the station, revealed that petrol stocks had run out and they were still awaiting delivery from the Makassar Integrated Terminal on Jalan Nusantara. “We have placed an order since yesterday, but we do not yet know when it will arrive. There are no indications of the delivery time in the distribution flow application,” he said.
The queue of vehicles, particularly four-wheelers that had been parked on the roadside since the previous night, triggered severe congestion on several main roads. To anticipate potential unrest and manage traffic, police officers and officials from the Transport Agency were deployed at several petrol stations.
This condition has prompted complaints from road users and drivers. Usman, a transport driver, urged Pertamina to provide a transparent explanation. According to him, the difficulty in obtaining fuel is not limited to subsidised fuel but also affects non-subsidised fuel.
Responding to the situation, which has persisted for the last two months, the leadership of the South Sulawesi Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) visited the PT Pertamina Regional Sulawesi office. The Chairperson of the South Sulawesi DPRD, Andi Rachmatika Dewi, requested concrete steps from Pertamina to resolve this issue which is burdening the community.
The Sales Area Manager for Retail Sulselbar of PT Pertamina Patra Ni него Regional Sulawesi, Rainier Axel Siegfried Perlindungan Gultom, stated that the queues were triggered by high demand in the tourism and logistics sectors. However, he also highlighted the factor of panic buying among the public.
“We always supply stocks to petrol stations every day; there has never been a disruption. However, consumer behaviour triggered by hoax information regarding fuel and LPG price increases has led to excessive purchasing,” said Rainier, refuting allegations of stock shortages.
Although Pertamina cited issues regarding price increases, social media monitoring shows that the prevailing narrative is dominated by complaints regarding long queues and information regarding the requirement to present vehicle registration (STNK) for the purchase of subsidised petrol starting 15 September 2026.