Top 3: Bahlil Claims Fuel Stocks Sufficient Until Gubernatorial Elections
Amidst a heated global geopolitical situation stemming from the Iran-Israel-United States conflict, the government has urged the Indonesian public to avoid panic buying of fuel. This statement was delivered by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia.
Bahlil claims that Indonesia’s fuel supply is sufficient for three weeks. Readers highlighted the statement from the Golkar Party General Chairman. Another story drawing reader attention concerns the concept of regional head elections in the upcoming general election.
The following are the three most popular stories on the National channel on Tuesday, 10 March 2026:
1. Bahlil: Fuel Stocks Sufficient, Public Need Not Panic Buy
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia stated that the country’s fuel storage capacity currently remains adequate for 21 to 25 days of needs. Should supply decrease, he said, the government will continue to replenish fuel stocks.
He therefore requested that panic purchasing be avoided amid fluctuating global oil prices resulting from the Middle East conflict. “Our fuel stocks are indeed sufficient,” he said at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
Bahlil stated that the domestic fuel industry continues to operate, and with refined oil imports from Southeast Asia which he claimed face no problems. “So there’s no need for that sort of panic buying,” he said.
2. Busyro Muqoddas: Free Nutritious Meal Project Lacks Transparency and Democracy
Busyro Muqoddas, Head of Law, Human Rights, and Wisdom at Muhammadiyah’s Central Leadership, stated that the free nutritious meal project is lacking in transparency and is antidemocratic. According to him, the government under Prabowo Subianto’s leadership is increasingly recklessly forcing through this priority programme unilaterally.
Yet he assessed that implementation of the free nutritious meal project continues to be carried out with poor bureaucracy and without openness or public participation. According to Busyro, such actions are not the first, but began during President Joko Widodo’s era and have been pursued even more strongly by President Prabowo Subianto.
“This free nutritious meal programme is inseparable from the political culture we are experiencing, which is increasingly anti-democratic, anti-criticism, and also anti-human rights,” he said at a press conference of the Coalition to Save Indonesian Education on Monday, 9 March 2026.
Busyro emphasised that not only the free nutritious meal programme, but other programmes such as red-and-white village cooperatives and the establishment of Danantara are also seen as being conducted in a closed manner. He noted that the budget for the free nutritious meal project is very substantial.
With such a large budget, according to him, there is no transparency regarding procurement or appointment of partners. According to Busyro, the Corruption Eradication Commission should actively monitor the free nutritious meal programme.
However, he assessed that the Corruption Eradication Commission is currently paralysed after being weakened by Jokowi and House Speaker Puan Maharani. Therefore, the only recourse is through judicial review to the Constitutional Court by civil society.
“I hope that this judicial review can be amplified significantly,” said the former Corruption Eradication Commission commissioner.
3. Jimly Proposes Indirect Gubernatorial Elections Only
Former Constitutional Court Chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie has proposed that discussions of electing regional heads through the Regional Representative Council apply only to gubernatorial elections. According to Jimly, the system of direct regional head elections represents the spirit of reform that began in the early 2000s.
However, he said, after nearly 26 years have passed, the system may be evaluated again in its implementation. “Well, it turns out democracy has had too much,” he said at a meeting with Commission II of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 10 March 2026. “So there could be choices, for instance, governors could be selected by the Regional Representative Council.”
Jimly assessed that abolishing direct gubernatorial elections at the provincial level still makes sense. Because, according to him, the position of governor is more inclined to be an extension of the central government.
Moreover, he stated that governors are more needed to consolidate and coordinate with the centre, compared to directly managing society as is the role of regents and mayors. With that reasoning, gubernatorial elections could be conducted through Provincial Regional Representative Councils from candidates proposed by the president.
For instance, he explained, the president would first determine three gubernatorial candidates, then hand them over to the Regional Representative Council for selection. “Whereas regional elections at district and city levels would remain as they are now, so it won’t be too complicated,” he said.
Regardless of the controversy surrounding the prospect of abolishing direct regional elections, Jimly reminded the House of Representatives to ensure this Electoral Law draft is discussed openly. He also requested that the Electoral Law draft be tackled intensively so it can be completed this year.