Misleading fuel hike commercial

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