Viral Call to Switch from Pertamax to Pertalite: Purbaya Responds

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has responded to the viral calls on social media urging a switch to Pertalite, following the increase in the price of Pertamax to Rp 16,250 per litre. Although he acknowledged predicting that a partial shift of Pertamax consumers to Pertalite would occur, Purbaya expressed confidence that not all Pertamax consumers would genuinely make the switch. “We haven’t calculated it. But the thing is, certainly a certain percentage will move,” Purbaya stated at the House of Representatives (DPR) in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday, 11 June 2026. His belief that not all Pertamax consumers would immediately shift to Pertalite is based on the assumption that the characteristics of Pertamax consumers differ from those of subsidised fuel consumers like Pertalite. Furthermore, there is usually a consideration regarding the vehicle engine specifications owned by these consumers and the compatibility of using Pertamax compared to Pertalite. “But supposedly not everyone will switch (to Pertalite). Because those who buy Pertamax know their cars are suited for Pertamax,” Purbaya said. Moreover, Purbaya admitted that his side has not yet calculated the potential magnitude of this fuel consumption shift, nor its impact on the energy subsidy burden within the state budget (APBN) management. Regarding projections of the percentage of consumers switching from Pertamax to Pertalite, Purbaya confessed this had also not been calculated by his team. He suggested asking the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, for more detailed information on the matter. According to him, fuel consumption patterns and the management of subsidy quotas fall under the authority of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. “We have not calculated it yet. Perhaps you could ask Mr Bahlil, who understands that issue,” he said.