House factions oppose fuel hike policy

House factions oppose fuel hike policy

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several factions in the House of Representatives have urged the
government to review its fuel price hike policy, which they said
had created a huge burden for the majority of people in the
country.

During a plenary session held on Monday to begin the House's
second sitting period, legislators from the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and
the National Awakening Party (PKB) continually interrupted the
proceedings to raise the issue of the fuel price increases.

PDI-P faction chairman Tjahjo Kumolo said the House should
hold an extraordinary plenary session to push the government to
review the Oct. 1 policy, which saw fuel prices go up by an
average of 126 percent.

"The House must give an official response (to the fuel price
hike policy). And its consultative body must table an
extraordinary plenary session as soon as possible because the
people cannot shoulder the economic burden caused by the fuel
price increases. The House never approved these massive fuel
price increases," he said.

Some lawmakers said earlier they had expected the government
to raise fuel prices by an average of only 30 percent when they
approved the fuel price hike.

Tjahjo said it was wrong for the House to remain quiet amid
soaring prices of basic commodities and transportation fares, and
kerosene shortages in remote areas across the country.

"The government must review the fuel price hike because
soaring prices have doubled the number of people living in
poverty and weakened people's purchasing power," he said.

He added that the chaotic distribution of cash aid to over 15
million poor people to help offset the impact of the higher fuel
prices only worsened the situation.

Retno Situmorang, a legislator with the PDS, said her faction
also wanted the government to review the fuel price hike policy,
adding that the faction would only approve a 30 percent increase
in fuel prices.

"Our faction and the House never approved an increase of more
than 100 percent in the price of Premium gasoline and 200 percent
in the price of kerosene. Therefore, the House must issue an
official response to this issue," she said.

Helmy Feisal Zaini, secretary of the PKB faction, asked the
House leadership to follow up on his faction's proposal for an
extraordinary plenary session to draft an official response to
the fuel price hike policy.

"If the House decides not to hold the extraordinary plenary
session it will be seen as a rubber stamp of government policy
and not representing the people," he said.

The House's consultative body is scheduled to meet on
Wednesday to decide whether to approve the proposed extraordinary
plenary session.

Joseph Umarhadi, a legislator with the PDI-P, criticized House
Speaker Agung Laksono's address to the plenary session on Monday,
which he said did not reflect the fact that some lawmakers
objected to the government's fuel policy.

"The speech was weak because it failed to include the
opposition in the House to the fuel price increases and their
negative consequences," he said.

Agung is also a deputy chairman of the Golkar Party, which is
led by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and is the main supporter of
the current administration.