KPPU urges House to revoke Pertamina, PLN monopolies

The Business Competition Supervisory Committee (KPPU) will pressure the parliament to review and amend where necessary, the law that gives monopoly rights to Pertamina and PLN to manage and market the country's oil and gas and energy resources.

"At the moment the KPPU has asked Pertamina and PLN to stop the monopolies. The laws governing them were established long before the KPPU was formed," said KPPU Deputy Chairman Syamsul Ma'arif in a discussion on anti monopoly practices yesterday.

Therefore, the KPPU will continue to pressure the parliament to change, revoke or amend the law on the monopoly of the management of the oil, gas and energy resources granted to the two state companies, he said.

Recently KPPU chairman Bambang Purnomo Adiwiyoso suggested that the committee's authority should be upgraded to a level equal to the parliament so that other parties cannot intervene in its decisions.

Separately, Herbert Sauter, Germany's former executive director for anti cartel bodies, said the control mechanism over the KPPU can be done by bringing the KPPU to the court if it issues decisions disadvantaging other parties. The KPPU began operations on September 5 this year. (*)