House rebukes ministry over 'illegal' fuel fee
House rebukes ministry over 'illegal' fuel fee
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The House of Representatives demanded that the Ministry of Home
Affairs stop collecting a recently introduced fee from low-income
households through the sale of subsidized kerosene because it was
considered illegal.
House Deputy Speaker from the National Awakening Party (PKB)
Muhaimin Iskandar said on Thursday that the House leadership had
decided to send a letter to the ministry to revoke a ministerial
circular, stipulating the fee, and proposed an investigation into
the case for possible corruption.
"Our meeting yesterday concluded that we want the circular
revoked and for the Commission II (on regional administration)
and VII (on energy) to investigate where the money has gone to,"
Muhaimin said on Thursday.
A circular, dated Oct. 3 and signed by Minister of Home
Affairs Ma'ruf, stipulates that households must pay an extra Rp
50 fee for every liter of kerosene they purchase. The fee is
reportedly allotted to finance the supervision of kerosene
distribution, to prevent industries from purchasing the
subsidized fuel. Kerosene is the main cooking fuel used by low-
income households.
The circular was addressed to all governors, regents and
mayors, as well as forwarded to the President, Vice President and
ministers.
But the House has claimed that the fee, which should be
counted as state revenue, was never reported nor calculated in
the deliberation of the 2006 State Budget, thus making the fee
collection illegal.
A hearing on Monday between House Commission III on energy
with energy minister and state oil firm PT Pertamina also
concluded that the letter should be revoked as the fee collection
was against the law.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro
said he was unaware that the collection of the levy was against
the law.
After two months since the circular presumably took effect,
the government has collected around Rp 90 billion from the fee
assuming an average monthly consumption of kerosene of 900,000
kiloliters.
Muhaimin said that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)
might as well look into the matter to see if there was any
indication of corruption.
Ma'ruf, however, claimed on Thursday that he knew nothing
about the fee. "I don't know about the fee," he said after a
ceremony at the vice presidential palace, but declined to provide
further explanation.
An official at the home ministry, however, acknowledged the
fee, but put the blame on Pertamina.
"It wasn't our idea. But since we're (the office) handling
regional administration, they asked us to issue the circular," he
said.