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.