President Jokowi: Oil and Gas Law Expected to Strengthen Energy Security

President Jokowi, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung engage in a conversation before limited cabinet meeting at Presidential Office, Jakarta, Wednesday (23/1). Photo by: Rahmat/PR.

The Government will carefully scrutinize the draft of Oil and Gas law proposed by the House of Representatives (DPR) and ensure that the law does not violate the Constitution, according to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

The President made the statement during a limited cabinet meeting on the draft of Oil and Gas law at Presidential Office, Jakarta, Wednesday (23/1).

Oil and gas, according to the President, are strategic resources for national development and are not renewable. Therefore, he added, the law is expected to strengthen national energy resilience and security.

“The law should increase oil and gas production, strengthen national capacity and domestic industry, as well as improve our human resources in oil and gas industry,” the President said, adding that the law should also encourage reforms in oil and gas management to make it more efficient, more accountable, less complicated, more sustainable, and more valuable for national economy.

Also present during the meeting were among others Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Darmin Nasution, Minister of State Secretary Pratikno, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Rini Soemarno, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Ignasius Jonan, Head of the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKK Migas) Dwi Sucipto, and CEO of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina Nicke Widyawati.  (DND/EN/RAH/ES)

Translated by: Ridwan Ibadurrohman
Edited by: Ersan Pamungkas