People feel bite of fuel price hike
People feel bite of fuel price hike
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
People began to feel the bite of the fuel price hikes on Friday
on the beaches and in the streets, with some fishermen abandoning
their boats in coastal areas, while in the cities passengers
fought with bus drivers over increased fares.
In the northern coastal area of West Java, many fishermen left
their boats tied to piers after diesel prices rose to between Rp
2,400 and Rp 2,500 a liter in Gebang, Cirebon, higher than the
official Rp 2,100 (about 23 US cents) a liter.
About 8,000 fishing families were affected.
"We'll wait until the diesel fuel prices stabilize. Even with
the subsidized prices, we found it difficult to keep fishing, and
even more so with the high retail prices now," said 24-year-old
Karsan from Gebang.
The remote location of the village contributed to the high
price of diesel, he said. A gas station for the fishermen
reportedly built by former first husband's Taufik Kiemas had gone
out of business a while before, he said.
A Dadap fisherman, Kusnadi, said he would have to borrow money
before he could finance a fishing trip under the current
conditions. Fuel, food and ice would cost him about Rp 100,000,
he said.
"Other fishermen are also trying to find more money, either by
borrowing it from the cooperative or switching to other jobs like
becoming construction workers," Kusnadi said.
In Manado, North Sulawesi, the Indonesian Fishermen's
Association (HNSI) said local administrations should charge
fishermen less levies, and make fishing permits cheaper and less
time-consuming.
"These recommendations should be immediately implemented since
the fuel price hikes have caused so much suffering to so many
fishermen," HNSI chairman Ferry Kokali said.
Meanwhile, in the streets of Bandarlampung, the price hikes
triggered violent a spate of incidents between passengers and
public minivan drivers.
On Friday, a construction worker Purnomo erupted into a public
bus rage when his normal Rp 1,000 fare was thrown back in his
face by a minivan driver's assistant, Rudi, who cursed him and
demanded he pay Rp 3,000.
Other passengers managed to separate the two.
"If you ask for fare hike, be logical. If you raise the fare
to Rp 3,000, it's too much," Purnomo said.
The fight was one of 15 recorded by public order officials on
Friday.
In Pekanbaru, the public transport service returned to normal
Friday following strikes by hundreds of minivan drivers during
the last couple of days. The drivers agreed to 20 percent fare
increase.
In Bandung, a food seller, Uni, complained about the high
price of rice. Previously, she bought 50 kg of rice at Rp
140,000, but the price had continued to rise. Now, with the fuel
price hikes, she was paying around Rp 195,000.
In Central Java town of Surakarta, some 1,500 factory workers,
students and Muslim youth groups demanded on Friday the
replacement of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's economic
team.
"The government is too arrogant, raising fuel prices at a time
when the people's welfare is at the lowest point," Sebelas Maret
University student president Ikhlas Thamrin said.