Jakarta, Nov 24 (Antara) -- The government's decision to raise the
prices of subsidized fuels when the world crude price is on the decline
has led to certain legislators deciding to use the parliamentary
interpellation right to question the president.
The government hopes that raising subsidized fuel prices will help
reduce energy subsidy, which burdens the state budget, by some Rp100
trillion, funds that it can divert to finance the development of the
sectors of infrastructure, health, education, and other productive ones.
However, legislators and many other quarters questioned the policy as
the government implemented it during a time when world crude prices were
declining.
On November 17, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) announced the increase
in the price of premium gasoline to Rp8.5 thousand per liter from Rp6.5
thousand and that of automotive diesel oil to Rp7.5 thousand per liter
from Rp5.5 thousand.
According to the Chairman of the Indonesian Confederation of Trade
Unions (KSPI), Said Iqbal, the fuel price hike had weakened workers'
purchasing power by 50 percent with their cost of living soaring. This
included house rent, transport costs, and prices of essential goods.
Iqbal pointed out: "It is strange that when the oil prices fell in the
world market to US$80 per barrel, Indonesia raised its fuel oil prices.
The price is even lower than the assumed price set at US$105 per barrel
in the 2014 and 2015 state budgets."
Furthermore, Chairman of
Commission VII on energy affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR),
Kardaya Wardika, stated that it was not a wise move by Jokowi to
increase the cost of subsidized fuels when the world price of oil was
declining.
Wardika, who is a member of the Great Indonesia Movement Party, noted
that the government had the right to increase or decrease the price of
fuel without asking the parliament for its opinion.
"But we
have the right to ask by how much the government cut the fuel subsidy
and how it plans to use the funds in the future," he remarked.
Therefore, a group of legislators, particularly ones from the Red-White
Coalition (KMP), is now seeking the implementation of the house's
interpellation right to question the president over his policy to raise
subsidized fuel prices.
Deputy House Speaker Agus Hermanto explained that the parliament's
interpellation right was a built-in right wherein any member of the DPR
could initiate its use by the house.
"It is not necessary that the interpellation right must always be
proposed by cross-factional legislators. If the number of legislators
(initiating its implementation) collectively reaches 20 persons, they
can propose it," Hermanto said.
If a total of 20 legislators have proposed it, then the DPR leadership will process it, he added.
According to researcher Karyono Wiboso of the Indonesian Public
Institute, the DPR can use its interpellation right to seek an
explanation for the government's policy to hike subsidized fuel oil
prices, which allegedly violates the Revised 2014 State Budget.
"The government's decision to raise subsidized fuel prices without the
approval of the house could trigger a political turmoil in the
parliament," he remarked.
He pointed out that the government could be perceived as having
violated law number 12/2014 on the amendment of law number 23/2013 on
the 2014 State Budget.
"As per article 14 point (3) of the law, the subsidy budget, which is
part of the subsidy management program as intended in point (1), could
be adjusted to the need of the current budgetary year based on the
realization of the Indonesian crude price and the rupiah exchange rate,"
he explained.
"Currently, the world's crude price is declining, and it has even
reached a level below US$80 per barrel," Wiboso, who is also the
chairman of the Trisakti Study Circle Research Team, stated.
In addition, law number 27/2014 on the 2015 State Budget also states
that if the government is interested in changing or adjusting the price
of fuel, then it should seek approval from the DPR.
Therefore, the Golkar Party faction in the legislature is striving to
gain support from other legislators for the implementation of the
parliamentary interpellation right.
"We will collect signatures from our fellow lawmakers. We hope we can
accomplish it soon," the Secretary of the Golkar faction in the DPR,
Bambang Soesatyo, affirmed.
He added that the Red-White Coalition (KMP) in the DPR will proceed
with its plan to use its parliamentary interpellation right to seek an
explanation from the government for its subsidized fuel price hike
policy.
"The KMP is resolute in its wish to carry it out. We will make the fact
that we want to use our interpellation right public," Soesatyo stated
on Monday.
He affirmed that the KMP was preparing arguments for proposing the use
of the interpellation right, and a meeting regarding the same will be
held on Monday afternoon.
Soesatyo noted that once the documentation and arguments for the
proposal were accepted, the representatives of the factions in the house
would obtain interpellation request forms to be submitted to their
respective factions.
"Members of the Golkar faction comprise 90 legislators, and the Greater
Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) faction has 73 legislators. This
excludes other factions in the KMP. So with this number, we will meet
the requirement to propose that the parliament use its interpellation
right," Soesatyo emphasized.
He said that the requirement of at least 25 legislators to support the move could be met in a couple of days.
"The inquiry right is important to investigate whether it is true that
the government suffered losses by providing fuel subsidy, which it
claims forced it to raise their prices," he remarked.
He further pointed out that the inquiry right could shed light on
suspicions regarding the alleged influence of the oil and gas mafia and
the extent to which the state incurred losses, due to which it had to
hike subsidized fuel prices.
If the government's reasons are illogical, the house can go ahead and use its inquiry or investigation right.
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(T.A014/INE/B003)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/Bustanuddin) 24-11-2014 23:10 |
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