BPMIGAS top officials assume similar position at new unit

By Godang Sitompul

All top officials of the now defunct BPMIGAS, except former chairman R. Priyono, assume similar position at a new care taker unit set up to assume the role and function of the upstream oil and gas authority, which has been dissolved following a recent Constitutional Court ruling.

According to a new Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources regulation former vice chairman and deputies of BPMIGAS including J. Wijanarko, Widyawan Prawiraadmadja, Gde Pradnyana, Ahmad Syahroza, Gerhard Rumeser, and Lambok Hamonangan assume similar position at the new caretaker unit.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued Presidential Regulation No. 95/2012 on the setting up of the Oil and Gas Upstream Business Executive Unit, a caretaker organization taking over the task and function of BPMIGAS. The caretaker organization is placed under the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik then issued to new regulations including Ministerial Decree No 3135 K/08/MEM/2012 and Ministerial Decree No 3136 K/08/MEM/2012 as follow-up.

Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Rudi Rubiandini said the two ministerial regulations were issued to become a guideline for the new caretaker unit in carrying out its tasks so that all operational activities which previously had been run by the now defunct BPMIGAS can proceed properly. ?All oil and gas activities must resume at appropriate pace,? he said.

The two new regulations among others cover the transfer of the role and function of BPMIGAS into the new caretaker unit under the ministry; the transfer of all BPMIGAS personnel into the new caretaker unit; matters related to operational, funding and assets of BPMIGAS are applied within the caretaker unit.

Editing by Reiner Simanjuntak