West Sumatra to Check Vehicle Registrations to Curb Subsidised Fuel Misuse

The Provincial Government of West Sumatra plans to implement vehicle registration certificate checks on buyers of subsidised fuel at petrol stations as part of efforts to tighten oversight of subsidised fuel distribution. The policy is one of the recommendations from a coordination meeting on controlling and supervising the distribution of specific fuel types and special assignment fuel types, involving the regional government, BPH Migas, Pertamina Patra Niaga, law enforcement, and relevant stakeholders. Head of the West Sumatra Energy and Mineral Resources Agency, Helmi Heriyanto, explained that the STNK check would be used as an additional verification instrument to ensure vehicle data matches the QR Code used when purchasing subsidised fuel. “We need to stress that the STNK check is not conducted on every vehicle filling subsidised fuel. Inspections are only carried out selectively if indications or suspicions of data discrepancies or alleged misuse are found,” Helmi said in Padang on Thursday. According to Helmi, the measure is necessary because various modes of subsidised fuel misuse are still found in the field, including the use of QR codes that do not match the vehicle being used, the use of other vehicle identities, and various forms of data manipulation. In practice, station attendants may request the STNK as a supporting document when finding conditions deemed irregular during the subsidised fuel filling process. This verification aims to ensure energy subsidies are received by those who are entitled. “The main objective is not to complicate matters for the public. On the contrary, we want to ensure subsidised fuel is truly received by entitled citizens and not misused by certain parties,” he stated. The West Sumatra Provincial Government considers strengthening supervision at the station level an important step to reduce the potential for subsidised fuel misuse still found across regions. “Field supervision needs to be strengthened so that potential misuse can be prevented from the outset. Therefore, a verification instrument is needed that can be used when indications of violations are found,” he said. Nonetheless, the government assures that STNK checks will not be applied to all subsidised fuel consumers. Members of the public who purchase subsidised Pertalite or Solar in accordance with the rules can continue to fill fuel as usual without worry. Through stricter and more targeted supervision, the provincial government hopes the distribution of subsidised fuel can proceed in a more orderly, transparent, and equitable manner, so that the benefits of energy subsidies truly reach the people who need them.