Oil producers in East Java upset over legislators? visits

A number of state owned oil and gas company Pertamina?s production sharing contractors have expressed their complaint over the planned visit of some members of the Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) to Surabaya from Thursday to Saturday this week, Neraca daily reported on Wednesday.

They were upset because they had to bear all the legislators? expenses during the trips including tickets, hotel rooms and local transportation during their three-day visit in Surabaya.

One of executives of the companies said that they wondered why they had to pay the travel expenses, while the visit had nothing to do with their activities. "I don?t know what their agenda is. At least they have been scheduled to play a golf with local Pertamina executives," one of the executives of oil companies said. But he refused to be identified.

According to him, the oil and gas companies in the province which have to share the legislators? travel costs are in difficult situation because they could not refuse the order. (*)