Official told to stay put over fuel crisis
Yongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado
North Sulawesi Governor A.J. Sondakh has ordered M.Zaini, head of the Pertamina branch office here, and Rosman Idris, Bitung port administrator, not to leave the region, amid mounting anger over their alleged roles in a prolonged fuel shortage that has particularly affected supplies of kerosene.
The travel ban on the two officials was made on Friday morning following demands by students that the two officials be held responsible for the province's protracted fuel crisis.
Thousands of students from various universities descended on the gubernatorial office and the provincial legislative council building on Thursday, demanding that the governor take prompt and proper action against the two officials over the crisis.
They urged the North Sulawesi administration to take strict and prompt measures against the two officials, who they alleged were responsible for the disappearance of fuel. A similar request also applies to other officials involved with kerosene supply and distribution in the region.
"I have told the two officials not to leave the province before the fuel crisis is overcome," the governor said, adding that he had called on the Bitung port administrator to return soon from Jakarta.
The students said the performance of the state-owned oil company Pertamina was very poor.
The students said that Pertamina officials in North Sulawesi had conspired with local oil traders, causing the scarcity of fuel that has forced locals to line up for kerosene.
The students also accused the Bitung port administrator of masterminding fuel smuggling through the port. Therefore, they urged the North Sulawesi legislative council to hold a hearing with the two officials as well as other heads of institutions who were allegedly responsible for the fuel crisis in North Sulawesi.
Victor Mailangkay, a North Sulawesi legislator who received the students, promised that the council would give executives and Pertamina two weeks to settle the fuel crisis, especially the kerosene scarcity, in North Sulawesi.
"If the problem is not properly dealt with within the coming two weeks, we will propose to the central government that the head of Pertamina's Manado branch office be dismissed," Victor revealed.
The speaker of the North Sulawesi legislative council, Syachrial Damapolii, meanwhile said that the council would hold a hearing with Pertamina and its agents in the region, Bitung port administration, the owners of fuel distribution centers and representatives of students on Friday to discuss the matter.
Earlier Pertamina had blamed illegal fuel buyers from the Philippines for the scarcity and soaring prices of kerosene and gasoline in the province.
The current crisis has been going on for some time in Sangihe Talaud, North Sulawesi's northernmost regency, which lies close to the Philippines.
A housewife living in Banjer, Pal Dua in downtown Manado said on Friday that she had to stand in line for hours to get kerosene for her daily needs.
In Manado and Bitung kerosene is sold at between Rp 1,000 and Rp 1,300 per liter, or more than Rp 500 higher than it was before.