Government told to drop Pertamina controversial fuel price policy

Indonesian exporting firms called the government to completely drop the plans of the state oil and gas company Pertamina to require exporters to purchase fuel at international price level.

Head of the Indonesian exporters association (Gappindo) of the Maluku province chapter Hadi Budoyo was quoted by the Bisnis Indonesia daily as saying that the new policy would create a heavy burden to the local exporters including the fishing companies.

Hadi supported the decision by the Minister of Mines and Energy Susilo B. Yudhoyono to temporarily suspend the new Pertamina fuel price policy.

But he said that the government should have completely dropped the new policy.

Susilo said recently that the implementation of the Pertamina fuel price policy should be temporarily halted because such a policy must be first discussed with other related ministries and government institution. (*)