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.