Fuel queues not getting shorter in some regions
The Jakarta Post, Jambi/Bandung
After four days of fuel shortage, the people of Yogyakarta breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday as the supply of premium gasoline returned to normal in the city.
However, the fuel shortage remained a problem on the same day for residents in other cities across the archipelago, including Semarang, Kupang and Jambi.
In Yogyakarta, the long queues had disappeared on Thursday at several gasoline stations in the city. It took only 15 minutes for each motorist to fill up, compared to one hour when the shortage peaked a few days ago.
In a gasoline station in Mertoyudan, the long queues were not seen since Wednesday as the supply of fuel had returned to normal. "Today, the longest queue was up to 20 motorcycles," said Suwanto, a gasoline station employee, was quoted as saying by detik.com news portal on Thursday.
In Bengkulu, a brawl erupted in front of a gasoline station in the province. The incident began when residents were queuing at a gasoline station on Jl. S. Parman in the city at 8 a.m. Suddenly, a motorcyclist cut into the queue, sparked the ire of other people in the queue. Some motorcyclists told him to join the queue, but he shouted back, prompting them to mob him, said Padjri, a witness. The man was saved by several police personnel guarding the gasoline station, said Padjri, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Bengkulu has been hit by the fuel shortage since a week ago, causing long queues at several gasoline stations in the city.
In Pagar Alam regency, South Sumatra province, the fuel shortage has forced sidewalk fuel traders to look for other work. Zaleha, a petty trader, said that she had not been able to get fuel from gasoline stations for the past week.
Zaleha is now selling various fried snacks such as banana fritters. "I have to do it in order to provide for my family," said Zaleha, as quoted by Antara.
In Semarang, the capital of Central Java, the fuel shortage is still plaguing the city, pushing fuel prices up. Several gasoline stations in the city were closed on Thursday, including those on thoroughfares Jl. Majapahit and Jl. Achmad Yani.
Some petty traders took advantage of the long queues by buying premium gasoline from gasoline stations and selling it again to the public at higher prices. The traders sold the gasoline at up to Rp 4,000 a liter, far above the normal price of Rp 2,400 a liter.
An official at state oil and gas company Pertamina's Semarang office, Hepi Wulansari, expressed regret that the residents had been affected by panic buying. "The supply of gasoline is sufficient in the city, but I don't know why people are flocking in droves to the gasoline stations here," said Hepi, as quoted by detik.com.
In Jambi province, Jambi provincial council has opened two hotlines in order to allow the public to convey any complaints on the fuel shortage. The numbers are (0741) 62656 for fixed lines and 0816-3204-244 for cell phones. "The hotline will be active 24 hours a day," said Libran, a senior councillor.
In the province, the fuel shortage has prevented fishermen from going out to sea. Fishermen in West Tanjungjabung regency in Jambi had not gone to sea for the past three days due to the shortage of diesel fuel.
In Bandung, dozens of Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) students staged a protest here, demanding that the government audit Pertamina, the sole supplier of fuel in the country, which is responsible for the fuel shortage.