Misleading fuel

Misleading fuel
hike commercial

From Koran Tempo

Among other things, I have found two misleading pieces of
information in Pertamina's (state-owned oil company) television
commercial on the hike in fuel prices, which has two comedians as
the cast, Nunung and Bolot.

The first is when Bolot compares the price of packaged mineral
water, which is more expensive, with the price of fuel. Mineral
water and fuel are clearly two different commodities. The mineral
water industry is free to fix its own prices, such as Aqua's Rp
1,500 per bottle versus Evian's Rp 10,000. Our country's fuel, on
the other hand, concerns the lives of the entire population
(refer to the 1945 Constitution, article number 33). We can
certainly live without those branded mineral waters, but fuel is
one of the basic necessities of modern life.

The second is when Nunung, playing a migrant worker in
Singapore, says: "In Singapore, where I'm working, the diesel
fuel is more expensive, it's Rp 3,000 per liter, you know!"
Probably so, and it could be reasoned that Singapore is not an
oil-producing nation anyway, whereas Indonesia happens to be one
of the largest oil producers in the world. It is only natural
that the commodity's prices should be far cheaper here.

Perhaps Pertamina thinks that it should protect its corporate
image by giving carefully thought out reasons for the price
increase. But please, the scenes in the commercials only further
muddle the public's thinking and they are nothing more than being
merely apologetic.

SHINTA LAKSMI

Jakarta