Cabinet Secretary: President Joko Widodo Does Not Interfere Fuel Oil Price

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung

Even though President Joko Widodo has requested the recalculation, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that the President will not interfere the issue of fuel oil (BBM), electricity and gas price’s changes.

According to Pramono, President Joko Widodo wants the Minister of State Owned Enterprises to recalculate the price of fuel oil properly when people needs it. “The results will be announced by Pertamina or State-owned Electricity Company (PLN). The current open mechanism allows them to announce the results,” Pramono Anung said to the reporters after a limited meeting at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Monday (5/10) afternoon.

Previously, the President said that the prices of BBM, particularly premium and diesel fuel until now are still under calculating process, so is the price of electricity.

President Joko Widodo dismissed the notion that he has asked for the reduction of the prices of BBM and electricity. “Yesterday, I did not asked for price reduction, I asked to recalculate with the whole available efficiencies,” President Joko Widodo said while launching a program “Labor Intensive Investment for Indonesian Workers Employment” (Investasi Padat Karya Untuk Penyerapan Tenaga Kerja Indonesia) at PT Adis Dimension Footwear factory, West Balaraja, Tangerang, Banten, on Monday (5/10) afternoon.

Price Reduction is not Applied for All

Pramono Anung explained that not all prices could be set lower.”We should revise this. The President absolutely does not want to interfere the business sector, inculding state-owned enterprises although the Government own their shares,” Pramono said.

Responding to the statement of Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Agus Martowardojo regarding the price of BBM, Pramono Anung said that BI is independent and responsible for the monetary, meanwhile the Government is responsible for the fiscal.

Pramono asserted that the Government or the President does not want to create polemics. He later said that what the President, the Palace, the Government or Cabinet have done solely focused on fixing the economic issues.

“This is not the time to get popularity and create an image,” Mas Pram, Pramono Anung nickname, said.

According to Cabinet Secretary, all of these need real and hard works, and the President has taken the positions as the Head of State and the Head of Government. The President took the risk. “Therefore, we do not want to respond to the issue or the statement from Governor of BI because it was his authority,” Pramono said. (DNK/SLN/ES)(RAS/MMD/LW-Naster/Sy)