Government lax in efforts to cut fuel use by vehicles
Government lax in efforts to cut fuel use by vehicles
Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Although private vehicles and motorcycles guzzle close to half of
the subsidized fuel in the country, the government continues to
overlook the transportation sector in its short-term energy
conservation efforts.
House of Representatives legislator Agusman Effendi said that
the recent fuel crisis provided a good opportunity for the
government to reform the transportation system in the country.
"A lot of fuel-saving initiatives in the transportation sector
could be undertaken by the local administrations," Agusman,
chairman of the House's Commission VII overseeing energy and
mineral resources, said recently.
"The government should start working on concrete measures
right away," he added.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued instruction no.
10/2005 a week ago on energy conservation. Since then, several
measures, such air conditioner thermostats at higher settings in
offices, have been promoted.
Unfortunately, the government tends to aim more at reducing
electricity use (most of which is produced with giant diesel-
powered generators) than directly targeting gasoline usage.
Data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources showed
that last year, that the public transportation sector consumed 28
million kiloliters (kl) of fuel (diesel and gasoline), or about
45 percent of the 62 million kiloliters used nationwide.
In the first six months of the year, Indonesia, which is
forecast to have 550,000 new cars on its streets by the end of
2005, saw premium gasoline consumption reach 8.48 million kl, 12
percent higher than the estimated usage for the period.
One of the more controversial options suggested in order to
decrease consumption was to raise the price of fuel used in the
transportation sector, except for those used for the public
transportation.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) acknowledged that
as long as the government did not utilize public transportation
as the primary way to travel, excessive usage of fuel would
continue.
"The policy (to raise fuel prices for private vehicles) is
acceptable if the government improves public transportation
means," YLKI executive Tulus Abadi said.
Reckless drivers, nearly broken-down buses, cramped trains and
security issues were often mentioned as some of the more glaring
reasons why people continue to use private vehicles to move
around in most cities.
Other possible measures to decrease fuel consumption included
setting progressive taxes for vehicles and obliging cars with
engines larger than 2,500 cc to buy only unsubsidized fuel, as
once suggested by Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso.
Jakarta's provincial mineral resources agency chief Peni
Susanti that the policies were still being discussed.
"There is no binding regulation yet. For now we can only call
on big-engine car owners to not buy subsidized fuel," said Peni.
"Such a regulation is in the hands of the central government,"
she added.
At present, state oil and gas company PT Pertamina produces
and sells two types of high quality fuel, namely Pertamax and
Pertamax Plus, which are not subsidized.
The energy ministry's director general of oil and gas Iin
Arifin Takhyan confirmed that there was not yet a regulation in
place designed to slow fuel consumption and could not specify
when any would be issued.
"We call on the people to use only enough that they really
require," said Iin. "In the medium term, we aim to diversify fuel
consumption and use more natural gas," he added.
Perhaps it is too soon to expect the government to draft the
decrees needed to support concrete measures to reduce fuel usage
in the transportation sector.
"One week should be enough," said Agusman.